Harry Potter and the Heir Prophecy
by SaoirseMC
Summary: Harry meets his penpal, Roxanne Winters. Unbeknown to him, Roxanne is the only daughter of infamous Death Eaters, currently in Azkaban. At Hogwarts someone else harbours a liking for Roxanne, someone who would do anything to furfull the Prophecy...
1. The Letters

**Chapter 1 **

**The Letters**

Once again Harry was in a bad mood, a very bad mood. Now the Black House was his, passed on from Sirius, he got to stay there instead of the Dursleys'. But this didn't make him happier. Sirius' mother screamed at him every time he passed her and that evil house-elf tried to kill him when he first walked through the door back from his fifth year at Hogwarts. Of course Kreacher never tried that again when Harry kicked him across the room. Hermione had had a go at him for hurting the "poor little elf" so now Harry was annoyed with Hermione as well and warned her if _she_ didn't shut up he'd kick her across the room. Which was a shame since she was the only good company in this rotten house. Kreacher was fine as well; he just got up and shuffled out of the room. Harry's love for his friend Hermione would not allow him to kill the creature who had helped in his godfather's death. But Harry enjoyed slowly torturing Kreacher by hiding his prized possessions and putting dungbombs in his home.

Some people grieve for ages when a loved one dies, some go on a rampage. But Harry just moped and sulked and ignored company. What Luna had said about the veil had made his hopes of seeing is godfather again soar. And he even asked Mr Weasley to take him there but he was denied this request. He said that it was too dangerous and so much of a secret even Mr Weasley himself didn't know about it until Harry explained it.

This just made Harry even more annoyed with everyone that entered the house. Everyone steered clear of him, even Snape, who usually loved annoying Harry, tried not to talk to him.

Harry was going back to Hogwarts in three days and they had left the shopping for equipment a bit late as every time it was mentioned to Harry is acted as if he didn't care, when in fact he wanted to be anywhere than this horrible house that contained memories of his godfather. Since getting back from Hogwarts, the house had been subdued and awkward. Everything reminded everyone of Sirius and arguments broke out causing tears and depression. Things had cooled down a bit as it neared September. Everyone was busy of course, now new threats had emerged, but the aura in the Black house was definitely lighter.

Harry leaned against the wall in his bedroom and gazed out of the window. The rain came down in buckets and the occasional clap of thunder could be heard from miles away. It mirrored his mood but even on sunny days, Harry was grumpy. He had only been out of the house once, and that was a trip to visit the Dursleys as Mr Weasley was still sure they cared for him. Deep, deep down inside. It hadn't gone very well. Mr Weasley ended up apparating inside to ask them to open the door for Harry, only to get plates and vases thrown at his viciously.

"Harry, tea is ready," said Mrs Weasley from outside Harry's door.

"I'm not hungry," he lied, as his tummy rumbled loudly.

"But its roast turkey, dear. I made it especially for you," said Mrs Weasley, in an almost pleading voice.

Nobody had seen Harry eat for two days now, but unknown to the rest of the Order, he had been sneaking down and feasting on anything and everything edible he could find. He had put on quite a bit of weight now. So he was no longer skinny but quite slim. Maybe the fact that he hadn't been out of the house for a month had something to do with the weight gain. He had been doing a bit of exercise in his bedroom; it was perhaps the second only thing that was keeping him sane. The letter that had arrived a week before about his O.W.Ls had cheered him up immensely as he had received a total of seven O.W.Ls.

Harry rolled his eyes at Mrs. Weasley's pleading requests and stood up.

"I'm coming," he answered, swinging open the door. He made to slam it but remembered Sirius's mother, so he quietly closed it behind him. Many a time he wanted to blast her head of the wall but of course wasn't allowed. One day…

Downstairs was Hermione and Charlie Weasley, both tucking into a delicious meal. Tonks was there as was Lupin, deep in discussion. They all looked quite surprised to see him and stopped their conversation abruptly.

"Hullo Harry," said Charlie, grinning at him. No grin was replied. Hermione avoided his gaze.

"Hey," muttered Harry, who had only come down for the food, not for the company.

"We were just talking about meeting up with Ron in Diagon Alley tomorrow," said Lupin cheerfully.

"I bet you were," said Harry, helping himself to some potatoes.

Lupin frowned and didn't say any more.

"Would you be wanting treacle tart later, Harry?" asked Mrs Weasley, very pleased that he was eating.

"Yeah sure, can I have it in my bedroom? I need to finish my Potions homework," he said, lying once again.

He was in fact planning to write to his pen pal, whom he had been in contact with since around two weeks ago. She had sent him an owl by accident about how much she loved quidditch and when she was starting school in Hogwarts. Whether she meant to send it to Harry or not didn't matter. Harry had replied to it, saying, "you accidentally sent me an owl. I'll send it back so you can send it to whoever you intended to in the first place. I love quidditch too by the way. I'm a seeker in the Gryffindor team. That's a house in Hogwarts."

She had sent another letter saying, "you go to Hogwarts? Tell me about it please! I used to go to a private school in Durham but I didn't like it. So now I'm going to Hogwarts! I'm really nervous! Yours, Roxanne." He kept the many letters in his drawer, locked so no one could check, not even Kreacher. Most were short, quick replies, quite the contrast to Harry's lengthy posts.

Back upstairs Harry began writing his letter to Roxanne. No one knew about her, not even Ron. What would he say if Harry told him he had a crush on a girl he had never even met?

_Hi Roxanne, We're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow. Maybe I could see you there? Send me an owl back quickly if you can go, from Harry xxx_

He did this very neatly and even put a smiley face on the envelope even though he wasn't feeling "smiley" himself. He tied the envelope onto Hedwig's leg and watched her sore into the night sky.

Moments later there was a knock on the door.

"Yeah?" said Harry.

"I've got your pudding, do you want it?" asked Hermione.

Harry opened the door and held out his hand.

"Who were you writing to?" she asked, peering over Harry's shoulder at the parchment and pens strewn across his desk.

"My pen pal," he said, taking his pudding.

"I didn't know you had a pen pal. What's his name?"

"She's a girl and her name is Roxanne. Any more questions?" he said rudely, closing the door so only Hermione's face could be viewed.

"I was just wondering," retorted Hermione.

"Well you'll see her tomorrow, I'm hopefully meeting her in Diagon Alley," he said, looking very chuffed with the shocked expression on Hermione's face.

"But you don't even know her!"

Harry scowled, "you worry too much." He closed the door gently as not to wake Sirius' mother up. Harry ate his pudding slowly, enjoying hot food as when he raided the kitchen it was usually cold. There was a tap on the window and Harry opened it. Hedwig was back already. The reply read,

_Hi Harry! Yes I will meet you in Diagon Alley. How about outside Flourish and Blotts at 11:00? Send a letter back if you can't. I can't wait! Luv, Roxanne xxx_

Harry's mood lightened immensely as he dressed into his pyjamas and fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning Harry woke up quite late. Mrs Weasley was rushing about preparing food and talking to Mr Weasley's head in the fire.

"Good morning, Harry!" said Mr Weasley, beaming up at him.

"Good mornin'," replied Harry dully.

He didn't eat much as he wanted as much time as possible to smarten himself up. He changed into his least faded pair of jeans and a navy sports jacket. Not even bothering to try to tame his hair, he instead cleaned his trainers.

"You look very sophisticated, Harry," said Tonks, as he went back downstairs.

Tonks' hair was burgundy now and flowed right down her back. It looked very normal compared to her usual hairdos, which Harry had actually grown to like.

They went via the Floo Network, Harry's least favourite way to travel.

"But I'll get soot all over me!" he said, completely outraged.

"Don't worry, I'll get rid of it when we get there," assured Mrs Weasley, obviously keeping laughter out of her voice.

When they arrived in Diagon Alley the Weasley family were standing there waiting.

"Hey Harry!" said Ron, striding over. He had grown another few inches but seemed to have less freckles and was paler than usual. Everyone seemed more like that. The security had gone up loads and people were starting to get anxious, watching their backs and trusting no one.

"Hiya Harry," said the twins, looking very classy in their new clothes, they winked mischievously at Hermione.

Harry grinned and nodded a hello before asking, "what's the time?"

"Nearly eleven, why?" asked Fred.

"I've got to go to Flourish and Botts, I'll meet you all somewhere later."

"I've got to go there anyway," said Hermione.

"Us too," said Ron, indicating to Ginny.

"But…" Harry started, but it was no use. They had already started towards the shop.

When they got there they were the only people outside it, as the whole country seemed to be crammed inside.

"I'll wait out here for a while, its too crowded in there," said Harry, glancing around. Ron frowned but they left him standing outside.


	2. New Friend

**Chapter 2 **

**New Friend**

"HARRY!" a voice screamed from the opposite side of the street. Harry whipped around and saw a pale-faced girl with long black hair running towards him. She stopped in front of him and grinned, her cheeks reddening.

"Its so good to finally meet you!" she said. She glanced at his shocked face. "Er…you are Harry aren't you?"

"Yeah," he said, blushing slightly, "yeah I am."

Roxanne was quite tall, not as tall as Harry though. She had pale mauve eyes and her hair reached almost reached down to her waist and was wavy and all over the place. She had her nose pierced and her ears pierced quite a few times. In fact, she looked quite gothic. She was wearing a dark denim skirt just above her knees and a top with fishnet sleeves. Even in Diagon Alley she stood out a bit.

"Phew! That would be really embarrassing running up to the wrong person! I hope I'm not too late," she added, adjusting the backpack on her shoulder.

"No, I just got here," said Harry.

She was nothing like he had imagined. She had said in her letters she couldn't send a photograph as her aunty wouldn't allow her. She had told Harry what she looked like but he had imagined her much more…less noticeable!

"Shall we go in then?" she asked, pointing to the shop. He liked her slight Northern accent.

"Oh…yeah, ok then," said Harry.

Inside Hermione was just paying for her huge mound of books.

"Hey Harry, do you have your list? I forgot –" Ron stopped in mid sentence, "who are you?" he asked Roxanne rudely.

"This is Roxanne, she's my pen pal," explained Harry.

"You never told me you had a pen pal!" said Ron, looking crestfallen.

Roxanne frowned at Harry.

"I had my reasons," mumbled Harry, "Roxanne, this is Ron, Ginny and Hermione."

They all smiled at her and said hello. Hermione looked quite astonished at Roxanne's choice of clothing and accessories.

"She used to go to a private school in Durham. She's starting sixth year at Hogwarts too," said Harry, grinning.

"Cool, I s'pose you don't know what house you'll be in?" said Ron.

"No, but I bet I'll be put in Hufflepuff. Not that there's anything wrong with them," she added, twiddling with her spiky belt nervously.

"Nah, I bet you be in Gryffindor," said Harry, feeling a bit more brave. He felt like he knew Roxanne very well, even though they had only communicated in letters.

"Actually, she'll most likely be put in Ravenclaw as private schools tend to be ahead when it comes to most subjects," said Hermione, talking as if Roxanne wasn't even there.

Roxanne shrugged, "I really don't mind. I would prefer Gryffindor though." She grabbed the books she needed, nearly dropping them in her urgency.

"But Ravenclaw doesn't always take in the really smart people. You would be in there otherwise," Ginny pointed out.

"And anyway, I'm not smart," said Roxanne as she handed the money to the shopkeeper.

"Wow! You're taking nearly as many classes as Hermione!" said Ron, "that's not wise," he added, "Hermione had a mental breakdown she had so much homework."

Hermione scowled and walked outside without saying another word.

"Harry told me. But I'm not taking as many, I promise."

"Did Harry tell you how she managed to do it?" asked Ron, peering at her inquisitively.

"About the time turner thing? Yeah he did. You lot had some amazing adventures!" she said, her eyes lighting up.

"Hmm…Harry, can I speak to you a moment? Alone."

They walked outside and across the street. The passer-by's either scowled at the teens stopping in the middle of the path or pointed at Harry and stared.

"Are you mad?" he hissed to him, "you can't go telling everyone…everything!"  
"You can trust her, she –"

"But you don't even know her! She looks like…" Ron fidgeted about uncomfortably, "well Harry, she looks really evil!"

"She's a goth, that's the whole point," said Harry bluntly, rather annoyed with Ron's instant dislike for Roxanne.

"But you don't know her family. You don't even know her surname!"

"I do, its Winters."

Ron's mouthed fell open when he said that, his eyes slightly bulging.

"You are kidding me, Harry. Tell me you're joking!"

"No, why?"

"The Winters' have a really bad record, mate. Really bad. Their name used to be feared nearly as much as You-Know-Who's!" said Ron in a hushed voice.

"Used to be," Harry pointed out, but he felt a horrible feeling in his stomach. "And how come I've never heard of them?"

"That's because they've all been locked in Azkaban for years! I guess they're not a threat anymore, but they were eleven years ago," said Ron, his voice going quite high-pitched and panicky for a sixteen-year-old teenager, "nearly the whole family is apart from three people, four if you add Roxanne."

"I don't care and I doubt Roxanne is like them, she may not even be closely related," said Harry simply. But his happy mood deflated like a balloon. He did care, what if she was a spy? She could even try to kill him…

"What was that all about?" asked Roxanne, staring at Harry's troubled face as he waked back to her.

"Nothing, don't worry," said Harry, smiling.

They went to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and they all bought new robes. Then to the pet shop where Roxanne spent twenty minutes looking for the perfect cat.

"Do any have magical abilities?" she asked the shop owner, eyeing a bird that was playing chess with a huge tarantula.

"None of these cats do," said the woman, "but these twins 'ere are mighty intelligent," she added, clearly anxious for a buyer.

"Oh I can't take just one, the other will be lonely!" said Roxanne, stroking the felines affectionately, "I'll take both."

"Y'sure? Cost an awful lot!"

"I'm sure, thank you," she said as she handed the woman a lot of Galleons.

Ron stared wide-eyed at the amount of gold and threw Harry an 'I-told-you-so look'. Harry scowled and went with Roxanne out of the shop, the black cat on her left shoulder and Hermione carrying the white one.

"I'm going to call them Ebony and Ivory!" she said as Ebony nuzzled her cheek, "aren't they adorable?"

"Yeah, beautiful," said Harry, his eyes not straying from Roxanne.

Despite himself Ron couldn't help but hum the Ebony and Ivory song, which made Roxanne laugh. He blushed slightly and avoided Harry's gaze.

After a fun day of shopping and spending money, it was time for Roxanne to leave. They found Mr and Mrs Weasley and headed off to Gringotts, where her aunt and uncle were.

"See, they look decent people," Harry whispered to Ron. Ron silently agreed.

The couple looked normal enough, your average wizard and witch. The woman looked an older version of Roxanne but the man had neat, grey hair and grey eyes.

"Hello, you must be Harry! Roxanne's talked non-stop about you since your letter! My name is Allen and this is my wife, Miranda," said the man, holding out his hand.

Harry smiled at them both and noticed the solid gold watch on his wrist, studded with diamonds. Mrs Winters also wore very expensive jewellery.

Mr and Mrs Weasley introduced themselves and shook their hands.

"We have to hurry I'm afraid, Roxanne," said her aunty, her voice urgent.

Roxanne turned to Harry and looked very gloomy.

"Well…I guess I'll see you in three days time," she mumbled to him.


	3. Return to the Black House

**Chapter 3 **

**Return to the Black House**

"You could stay!" Harry blurted out.

"I'm sure its already too much hassle for Mrs Weasley," started Mr Winters, placing a protective hand on Roxanne's shoulder.

"Yes, I'm afraid Harry it would be too much hassle," said Mr Weasley, staring at Harry. They couldn't let her see where the Headquarters was. But unbeknown to him, Harry had told her everything. Roxanne thought the Order was an excellent idea.

"Its up to me," Harry said in a sinister tone.

"Yes, quite right," said Mr Weasley in a strained voice. He glared at Harry.

"Would you want to?" Harry asked Roxanne.

"Yeah, absolutely!"

Mr and Mrs Winters didn't look too happy about this, but eventually let her go.

"Shall I drop her belongings by your house?" asked Marilee Winters.

Mrs Weasley glanced at Mr Weasley uncertainly.

"How about I meet up with you…here, tomorrow? We're very busy you see," she said.

Mr Winters frowned slightly, "alright."

They made the arrangements and Roxanne hugged them goodbye.

"Have a good time, dear!"

"I will. Bye!" she called back, waving over her shoulder.

Harry was beyond happy at this point. He felt an overwhelming giddiness and desire to celebrate.

"Why is it up to you?" asked Roxanne.

"My house, my rules," he said, suppressing the urge to cheer.

"Wow! I knew you owned it but never knew you were in control! Wicked!"

Ron looked angrier than anyone. He evidently thought Harry was an idiot. He even told Harry this when they got to the house. He pulled him into the bathroom and locked the door.

At first he looked incapable of speech, but then he burst out, "you are really off your rocker, Harry! She's obviously the daughter of Deatheaters!"

"Listen very carefully Ron. I…don't…care! She's a good person, you're just jealous!" replied Harry. Ron was definitely getting on his nerves now.

"Jealous? Of what?" snapped Ron.

"Of what? Because I've had a girlfriend and hopefully I might be getting another and you're just jealous because you don't. Don't deny it."

"Why would I be jealous of you?" he retorted, "anyway, I'm going to argue with you."

"Well don't then. I could get you chucked out of this house like that," said Harry, snapping his fingers. He realised how big-headed he was acting and put his hands by his side.

"I'd be glad to go," growled Ron. He unlocked the door and strode out.

"Walk away, like you always do," Harry yelled after him.

"SHUT UP SCARHEAD!" Ron shouted back to him.

"STOOPING AS LOW AS MALFOY NOW ARE WE?"

"AT LEAST ITS NOT AS LOW AS YOU!" hollered Ron. He went into his bedroom and slammed the door shut. Mrs Black started screaming again.

"_Filthy, dirty scum walking about the house of my fathers like they own the place! Mudblood vermin!" _

"Wow! Storm at number twelve!" said Fred, appearing out of nowhere. George soon followed. Usually they were at their shop, but frequently came to the house to cheer people up with new jokes and gags.

Harry felt suddenly very guilty. He had acted such an idiot to his best friend just to protect someone he had just met. But the last thing he was going to do was apologise.

"You gotta keep your voice down, mate. She's been driving me nuts!" said George. Just as he finished his sentence Mrs Black stopped screeching. But no one was in the hall to quieten her.

"That's strange. She's never shuts up on her own," said Harry. He peered round the corner and saw Roxanne standing in front of the picture.

"The first worthy person I have seen in this house for decades!" Mrs Black was saying to Roxanne.

Ron had even come out of his room. Roxanne glanced over to Harry. Her face was full of dawning comprehension.

"Roxanne, come over here," Harry urged, he had a bad feeling about this.

"Roxanne? Roxanne Winters?" gabbled Mrs Black, "my dear! What an honour!"

"Ok, time for you to shut up now!" said Harry, attempting to pull the curtains shut.

"NO! I want to speak to my niece! Be gone you half-bred scum!"

He managed to close the curtains, aided by Fred and George.

"You're a Win –?" but before George could finished, Fred jabbed him sharply in the ribs.

"Anyway, we've got business to attend to – bye," said Fred, he vanished with a loud _crack _followed reluctantly by George.

Harry couldn't believe it, she was related to Sirius! Why hadn't he mentioned anything? With help he closed the curtains and Mrs. Black's screeches died down.

"I know what everybody thinks of me," muttered Roxanne, "just because my family was horrible doesn't mean me or my aunty and uncle are."

"We don't think you're like them," said Hermione, who had just come from downstairs.

"That's like Sirius. Look at his family, and then he was a really…" he took a sharp intake of breath, "really _innocent_ person."

"He was my uncle. His mother was my father's sister," explaimed Roxanne.

Roxanne remembered when she was small; she used to come visit this place often with her parents. It was much different then, more dark and gloomy but very well cleaned. It wasn't nice being back here. Horrible memories seeped into Roxanne's mind and entwined her brain like a vine.

"Roxanne?" said Harry, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" she said blankly.

"You wanna tour of the house? Just so you know?"

"Oh yeah…sure," she didn't mean to say that…the last thing she wanted to do was _see _the whole house.

"This is where me and Ron sleep. This is the second bathroom; it's bigger than the one downstairs. In Mrs Black's bedroom there's an en suite bathroom but we can't get in there, its locked. No one knows what's in there."

Roxanne did, she had been in there before. When she was four Mrs Black took a strong liking to her. _Everybody _in her family did. They all loved her. Apart from her mother's brother and his wife, who obviously felt two emotions. Hatred and sympathy. But they had still taken Roxanne in, without question.

"That's George, Fred, Charlie and Bill's room when they actually do stay. I wouldn't go in there if I were you though. There's been an awful smell coming from it."

"Why?" asked Roxanne.

"They do experiments in there, some go wrong," said Harry, eyeing the new door. It had been replaced after Fred blew it up with a firework.

"Harry," said Roxanne, standing in front of him, "you don't need to show me around here, I know it off by heart."

"What? How?" he asked, totally flabbergasted.

"It was my second home! If the Blacks' were alive today I would have been adopted by them, not my aunty and uncle," she muttered darkly, "but it doesn't matter anyway…"

"Why didn't you tell me in your letters? I mean…I'm the one Voldemort wants and then you…you're related to his Deatheaters!" said Harry, staring at her with disbelief.

Roxanne didn't flinch at Harry saying Voldemort's name, just at the 'related' part.

"I'm sorry Harry! I know all about you and all the things you've done. Amazing things!" she added, smiling gently yet nervously, "but I knew that you wouldn't want to talk to me if you knew about my parents and how they were involved with your par –" she stopped suddenly by the confused look on Harry's face, "I mean Sirius' parents."

Harry frowned and then realised what she had said made sense.

"Yes I would have! I wouldn't, I couldn't just forget about you," he said, feeling his face redden.

"Thanks Harry, you know, you're the only person who has befriended me," said Roxanne, putting her slender fingers around Harry's wrist.

His face reddened slightly. "Well now you've got loads of friends! As long as you don't get put in Slytherin you'll be fine," he said, "come on, dinner's ready."

The hallway door was shut and behind it a low rumble of many people chatting could be heard. _Most probably talking about me, _thought Roxanne grumpily.

"Listen, Harry. I'm really sorry mate. Didn't mean it, nobody can stoop lower than Malfoy," said Ron, walking up to Harry.

"S'ok," replied Harry, patting Ron on the back awkwardly.

Ron knocked on the door leading into the hallway and the chatting stopped immediately.

"Come in," called Lupin.

Roxanne, Harry, Hermione and Ron ambled in and found themselves face to face with what looked like nearly every person in the order. Harry looked over his shoulder and noticed all the wizards and witches behind him were looking at Roxanne with a look of utmost loathing. They saw Harry looking and their faces turned to smiles. Harry scowled and led Roxanne to the kitchen where the table was laden with food and a familiar pile of rags lay in the corner. Roxanne looked on the verge of tears as she sat in between Hermione and Harry. Dinner was unusually quiet. The silence was so thick you could slice through it with a knife. Roxanne only ate everything on her plate to be polite, but the second she walked out of the room with Harry she felt very sick.

"You ok? You look paler," said Harry.

"Haha Mr Comedian. I'm fine, just feel a bit ill," she said, "I think I'll go to bed now."

Harry was quite disappointed.

"Or we could sit in your room together and talk?" she said, noticing the fall of his face.

"Yeah ok! Hold on, let me check its ok…" he said, meaning of course the clothing that was strewn around his room. "Ok, come in."

Roxanne walked in and sat down on Harry's bed. This room used to be the place she slept in whenever she came visiting.

"What position do you usually play in Quidditch?" said Harry, sitting next to her.

"Chaser. You need to be strong to be a Beater and a Keeper seems boring. And I am not good enough to be a Seeker!"

"That's great! Two Chasers have left. Ron's the Keeper; he's…pretty good when he sets his mind to it. And the new Beaters are called Kirke and Sloper, dunno what their first names are. Well they're rubbish anyway…" said Harry, looking quite forlorn, "Quidditch is the only thing I'm looking forward to in school."

"I'm just worried about the way people will treat me and think of me," murmured Roxanne.

"Hmm…I can just imagine what Malfoy would say. But don't worry, me and Ron's second favourite sport is beating the sh –"

"There's a Malfoy at the school?" asked Roxanne, thunderstruck.

"Yeah, Draco Malfoy…let me guess, you're related?" said Harry in a cynical tone.

"By marriage," said Roxanne, waving her hand as if trying to waft away the unpleasantness of being related to him. "I can't believe they've kept him in school! He's been leaking out information about Hogwarts since he started there!"

"_What_?"

"My aunty told me. But Lucius Malfoy hushed them up with money, as usual," said Roxanne heatedly.

"That little slime-ball," muttered Harry, massaging his knuckles, "is Dumbledore stupid?"

"No," said Roxanne, shaking her dark, silky mane of hair, "he needs Malfoy too. Rumour has it he once used Veritaserum on him to find out something. Then wiped Draco's memory."

"Bet he's done it more than once."

"I hope so. Anyway Harry, I'm really tired. I'll see you in the morning," she said. She gave Harry a quick hug and then walked out of the room. Harry fell asleep that night with a big grin on his face.


	4. The Family Tree

**Chapter 4 **

**The Family Tree**

The next morning Roxanne woke up very late, as per usual. Ebony and Ivory were curled up at the foot of her bed still sound asleep. She found all her belongings and the equipment she needed for a year at Hogwarts beside her bed all neat and tidy, just how her aunty likes things. She changed into a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt and went into the bathroom to apply her makeup and do her hair. She was about to put her black eyeliner on but then she thought, '_doesn't that just make me look more sinister_?' She didn't want people thinking she was evil, but then she loved being all dark and gothic. She settled with mascara instead and plaited her hair.

Downstairs was practically empty apart from Harry, Ron, Ginny and the twins.

"Good morning!" said Harry cheerfully.

Roxanne smiled back and seated herself next to him. She half expected Fred and George to get up and leave but they didn't.

"Have a good sleep?" asked Fred.

"Great thanks," she replied, helping herself to some pancakes.

After breakfast Ron, Harry and Roxanne went to the drawing room, which was newly furnished and painted a warm yellow. Hermione was in there reading a book with Crookshanks on her lap. Ebony was trying to climb the green curtain while Ivory was sneaking around the room, pouncing on random items. Roxanne noticed a tapestry on the wall. It was immensely old and looked like something had been eating the corners. Nevertheless, the golden thread with which it was embroidered with stilled glinted brightly enough to show them an extensive family tree dating back to around the Middle Ages. At the top it read,

The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black 

'_Toujours pur'_

Roxanne had seen this tree many a time but had never bothered to look at it properly, as she was only young then. She went up to it and scanned it for her own name. And sure enough there it was, above her mother and father's and nearly next to Sirius' burn mark.

"Why is there a crown over your name?" asked Ron.

Going so close her nose was almost touching it; she saw a minuscule crown above her name, shining more brightly than anything else. How had she not noticed it?

"I don't know…" said Roxanne slowly.

Harry kneeled down on the floor and started searching for a certain name, Riddle or Slytherin.

"What you looking for?" asked Roxanne.

Harry looked up guiltily, "I was just curious to see if –"

"I was related to Voldemort?" she asked brusquely.

"No, to see if I was related to Salazar Slytherin," he said, twisting the truth.

Hermione bent down and found it immediately.

"You're not related Harry, it doesn't have Potter here anywhere. And Roxanne, you're only related to him by marriage. I think," she added, trying to follow the golden lines with her finger.

"Riddle is here alright, and look, there's a crown over Tom's name as well," said Harry darkly. In fact, the name Tom Marvolo Riddle was in small, silver writing and Lord Voldemort was in bigger, more visible gold writing.

"That's weird!" exclaimed Ron.

"Mrs Black probably just put a crown on those who she liked," said Roxanne, shrugging.

Harry didn't think so.

"Look!" Hermione said so suddenly it made Harry jumped.

"What?" he snapped.

"Draco has a crown too!"

"_WHAT_?" cried Ron and Harry.

"What the hell?"

"Does it mean royalty or what?" Hermione pondered aloud.

Roxanne didn't know herself what it meant or why it was even there. She backed away from the memory-plagued tapestry and sat on an orange chair at the other side of the room. It was an ominous coincidence how she had wound back up here after twelve years.

Mrs Weasley called Hermione and Ron to come and clear the table as it was their turn and more members of the Order were arriving shortly.

Harry sat in a chair opposite Roxanne.

"Are you ok?" he asked after a couple of seconds in silence.

"Apart from being back in this house, I'm great," she smiled, making Harry's stomach do a summersault.

_Its now or never,_ thought Harry.

"Er…Roxanne, I was wondering if you would go out with me?"

"Sure," said Roxanne, grinning as broadly as Harry. She threw a pillow at his head. He laughed, glad that he had gotten that off his chest.

They spent the afternoon and the evening just chatting and pillow fighting. Roxanne told Harry about Durham and its lovely scenery. Her private school was quite small compared to most schools. And only the rich could go so most people were very snobby. She had been glad to get away from it.


	5. Back to Hogwarts

**Chapter 5 **

**Back to Hogwarts**

Mrs Weasley woke everyone up early the next morning in order to get ready and make it to the Hogwarts Express. Roxanne was so nervous she couldn't eat her breakfast and had to sit down for a while to prevent herself from hyperventilating. Mr Weasley warned that the train mightn't even be there and they might have shut down the school due to the return of Voldemort, but the train was there. Though Harry noticed there was a reasonably less amount of students going this year.

"Is Hogwarts a small school?" asked Roxanne, as they reached King's Cross. Ebony was in her arms and Ginny had offered to look after Ivory, she was a cat lover just like Roxanne.

"No, its really big. But I guess some people aren't risking their children going to Hogwarts. Silly really, its more safe than their own homes," scorned Hermione, trying to keep Crookshanks still in her arms.

They said their goodbyes and Roxanne thanked Mrs Weasley for letting her stay. To her amazement Mrs Weasley hugged her suddenly.

"Don't listen to what anybody says, ok Roxanne?" she whispered to Roxanne, her eyes wide.

"Ok, bye Mrs Weasley, thank you for letting me stay," said Roxanne when she let go of her.

Ron and Hermione went to join the prefects while Harry, Ginny and Roxanne went o find a compartment. Unusually, there was a lot free. They chose one near the back and settled down.

"What was that about?" asked Ginny.

"She just said not to listen to anybody."

Ginny frowned and went back to stroking Ebony and Ivory. There was a small knock and in walked Neville. He looked healthier than last year and had an owl on his shoulder.

"Where's Trevor?" asked Ginny.

"I went on a camping trip in Wales during the summer and he jumped into a swamp and didn't come back," said Neville, in a don't-really-care voice.

Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back the door and said, "anything off the trolley, dears?"

Roxanne hadn't had breakfast and was now quite hungry. She bought some Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Droobles Best Blowing Gum and many other things.

The last thing Harry wanted to happen happened. At about quarter past three, the compartment door slid open. In walked Malfoy, looking even more gaunt than usual, and Goyle, but Crabbe was nowhere to be seen. Instead Pansy Parkinson was by his side, clutching his arm. By the look on their faces they were surprised to have come across Harry and had clearly not meant to come into their compartment.

"Damn it. I really hoped you weren't going to come," said Ron scathingly.

"The feelings mutual," muttered Malfoy, he noticed Roxanne and said, "who are you?"

"None of your business," snapped Harry. He wasn't going to stand for Malfoy this year; he wasn't going to stand for anyone.

Malfoy kept staring at Roxanne, whether he heard Harry or not he didn't know.

"What's…your…name?" he asked again slowly, as if speaking to a two-year old.

"Roxanne," she said simply.

Malfoy rolled his eyes, "what's your surname."

"Look Malfoy, just get out," said Ron, getting bored with the ordeal.

"Calm down Weasley. I just want the girl's name, is that a crime?" he derided.

There was something different about Malfoy, Harry noticed. Maybe it was because his father was in Azkaban.

"Well maybe I don't want to give it to you. Now make like a ferret and scram!" said Roxanne, standing up, her crucifix necklace swinging around her neck.

Malfoy smirk flickered.

"Who do you think you are? A vampire?" said Pansy, squealing with laughter.

"That's rich, since you look like a rat and sound like a pig," muttered Ginny.

"I wouldn't talk about being rich if I were you, ginger. You're so poor you've forgotten the meaning," Pansy retorted.

It was Ron's turn to jump up this time, he whipped his wand out and pointed it a Pansy's stomach. She then took out her wand, as did Goyle. Malfoy didn't even move, but he changed his avid gaze from Roxanne to Ron.

"Come on Weasley, I don't want to have to hurt you," said Malfoy sardonically.

"Please do, it would give the Dementors a reason to lock you up with your father," said Harry, taking out his own wand.

In one swift movement Malfoy retrieved his wand and put it to Harry's neck before he could even move. The action was ominously fast.

"Don't you dare talk about my father that way," he hissed, pressing the wand into his neck.

"I'll talk about that bastard anyway I want, he deserves whatever he gets," growled Harry.

He prepared himself for a fight but Malfoy merely stepped back in the compartment doorway. His face was calm but his eyes showed pure loathing.

"You're going to regret ever crossing me, Harry," he said. Before closing the compartment door he glanced at Roxanne then Harry and said in a voice barely audible, "at least I have a father."

He strode off followed by Goyle and Pansy. Harry kicked the seat viciously and sat down.

"I hate it when people do that," said Neville, breaking the silence.

"Do what?" asked Ginny.

"Instead of attacking you they just warn you and walk away. Its worse than a fight," he said, shivering suddenly like someone had just placed a cold hand on his neck.

"That's like at school. My friend – who isn't anymore-," she added casually, "– said that I would wish I hadn't said what I'd said and then the next day I found my homework all torn up and I got a weeks detention," said Ginny seriously.

"Oh now I'm really worried," said Harry sarcastically, "he's gonna ruin my homework!"

"I wouldn't mess with him if I were you," said Roxanne.

"Why not? He's all talk no action," said Ron. He flattened his hair against his skull and did an impression of Malfoy walking then tripping over a bag.

"You have to be serious Ron! He's obviously met Voldemort and he could be a spy! He could even have the Imperius Curse on some Gryffindors!"

"I never thought of that!" said Hermione, a shocked expression crossing her face.

"If he has, Dumbledore would know," said Harry calmly. "And anyway, he's not exactly a great wizard." He sat back down next to Roxanne and helped himself to a chocolate frog. Roxanne still wasn't assured.

It started to get dark and stars twinkled in the velvet sky. A half crescent moon shone brightly and lit up the clouds around it making them look like strands of silver candyfloss. Roxanne had always been one for admiring nature's beauty so she watched the sky while the rest talked about who should be in the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"I really think Neville would be a good Beater," said Ron.

"But we already have two!" Harry pointed out.

"Actually Kirke has left," said Hermione.

"Oh...I didn't know he was in seventh year."

"You should have known. He was on your team!" Hermione said to Ron.

"Well he was crap so I didn't need to know his life story," snapped Ron.

"Maybe he wasn't very good because he had a bad arm or something," Hermione shot back.

"You'll have to get used to this," Harry mumbled to Roxanne, "they argue _all _the time."  
"Hmm," replied Roxanne vaguely.

"Wow, that sky looks really nice," said Harry, noticing what Roxanne was staring at.

"Isn't it?" said Roxanne avidly. She yawned loudly, setting of a chain reaction of yawns in the compartment. She laid her head on Harry's shoulder and soon fell asleep. Harry cast Hermione a baffled look but she simply smiled back.


	6. Unwanted Surprise

**Chapter 6 **

**Unwanted Surprise**

A few hours later the train slowed down and people piled out.

The familiar call of "firs'-years! Firs'-years!" was heard among the rumble of footsteps and talk.

"All right there, Harry?" Hagrid called to him.

"Yeah thanks!" he shouted back. They walked to the carriages drawn by Thestrals. To everybody's surprise, Roxanne ran up the horses and immediately began stroking and patting them.

"Aren't they amazing?" she breathed. The horse whinnied in delight.

Ron shook his head, "still can't see 'em. But I suppose that's a good thing," he added thoughtfully.

Roxanne glanced at the other carriages and noticed Malfoy stroking a Thestral as well. He caught Roxanne's eye and smirked before climbing into the carriage.

Roxanne started feeling nervous again. Harry had explained how they decided which house to put you in. she wasn't worried about which house she would be in, she _knew _she would be in Gryffindor. It was the bit where they called out your name that worried her. She was very ashamed if her name and was not at the legal age to change it.

Inside the castle there was another new student starting sixth year as well, so Roxanne stood near him and waited for the first years to get sorted. The boy had curly red hair and green, almond-shaped eyes.

"Evans, Mark," Professor McGonagall called from the hall. The boy gave Roxanne a small smile and walked out. There was a loud, _Gryffindor! And_ an even louder cheer, then,

"Winters, Roxanne."

The ovation stopped instantly and there was a murmur of whispers. But Roxanne's heart was beating so loud and fierce in her chest she couldn't hear anything. As she walked towards the stool and the faded hat she forgot to breathe properly. '_Its ok, I'll be with Harry in Gryffindor. Everything will be ok,_' she thought to herself. She picked up the hat and sat down. Before the hat had even touched her hair it shouted out,

"_SLYTHERIN!" _

For a second Roxanne had herself believing she had heard Gryffindor, but when

Slytherin began clapping she realised the truth. She stood up and placed the worn hat back on the stool. Her hands were clammy and she felt very light-headed. She glanced up at the Gryffindor table and saw Harry's face. He looked speechless. Hermione had a sorrowful expression on and Ron looked outraged.

Close to tears, she made her way to the Slytherin Table. The hall was so silent the wind could be heard from outside. To her horror she saw the only space left was right next to Draco Malfoy. Her throat tightened and mouth dried up. This was like a horrible nightmare. Maybe she would wake up?

Malfoy had a sickeningly happy smile on his face as he budged over slightly to allow a bigger space for Roxanne. The second she sat down she put her head in her hands and strained to keep the tears back.

Meanwhile Dumbledore was doing his regular speech and introducing the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher but Harry heard nothing. He was staring at Malfoy who was grinning almost triumphantly at his fellow Slytherins.

"She didn't even get a chance to ask to be in Gryffindor!" Hermione shrieked when the food appeared on their plates.

Harry wasn't listening. A feeling of overpowering rage had filled him and all he wanted to do was rip that stupid hat up and then smash the place to pieces. His girlfriend was sitting next to his enemy! The person who's father tried to kill him! Like Roxanne, he had his head in his hands. But unlike her, he was so furious he was pulling at his hair like people do when they confused and angry.

"I'm sorry mate," said Ron sympathetically. "Harry?"

Harry knew to prevent himself from hitting someone he must leave. He jumped up and ran out of the hall. Heads turned and watched him go, as did Roxanne.

"Poor feller," said Ron, not touching the food.

"Poor Roxanne more like," said Ginny, stabbing at the carrots on her plate.

"I wonder what the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is like," said Hermione, gazing at the woman sitting in between Snape and Hagrid. She had golden hair her, which flowed down her back, and she wore black, oval glasses. She was talking merrily to Hagrid as Snape glared at her venomously.

"Is that all you care about?" snapped Ron.

"No! I was just wondering!"

Roxanne had lifted her head to stop her hair getting butter and gravy in it.

"Winters huh? No wonder you didn't want to tell us," said Pansy, but she looked very serious.

Roxanne wiped the tears from her eyes and sucked a mint humbug.

"You should eat," said Malfoy, putting a chicken leg on her plate.

"Don't talk to me, Malfoy," growled Roxanne. A memory popped into her mind, when her cousin married Malfoy's cousin she could remember knocking the wedding cake over and she had pushed a three-year-old Draco into the mess of cake. That had been the first and last time they had met.

"You need to face the facts _Winters_, you're in Slytherin and that's your house, your home."

"Don't remind me," grumbled Roxanne.

"I guess Potter has told you about us then," said a boy called Allen Pucey, who was sitting beside Pansy. Roxanne didn't reply.

"You'll make real friends in Slytherin," said Malfoy.

"Who says I'm going to hang out with people like you?"

The people around her laughed.

"You are a person like us Roxanne!" said Pansy, shrieking with laughter.

"I'm not! I'd rather die than be like _you_," she snapped.

"Then prepare to face death," said Malfoy coolly, pouring thick gravy over his baked potatoes.

Roxanne knew practically everybody in the hall was staring at her and half of them talking about her. But she wasn't surprised, she had expected way more than this. Like people shouting to Dumbledore, "a Malfoy I can live with, but a Winters?"

She stood up and walked out of the hall the way Harry had gone, feeling hundreds of gazes burning into her back like lasers. She reached the Gryffindor tower and saw Harry sitting down next to an empty portrait.

"Harry?" Roxanne whispered apprehensively.

He lifted up his head, caught sight of Roxanne and smiled weakly. Roxanne sat down next to him and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Harry. I didn't even get to say…" she mumbled, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Just promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"Don't make friends with Malfoy. Don't…don't even speak to him," said Harry, his voice wavering dangerously.

"Of course not."

"Are you wanting to enter?" a voice asked from beside them.

They looked up and saw the Fat Lady back in her portrait. She smoothed down her pink, satin dress over her plump belly and waited patiently for the password.

"Er…I've forgotten," said Harry grumpily, "they've made the passwords into sentences now for safety reasons."

"No need to be so sarcastic. We don't want another repeat of third year," sniffed the Fat Lady.

Harry's face changed to anger, "he wasn't in there to hurt anyone!"

"I know that now dear, but still. If he could get in someone else could as well."

"I know it now. _Metus metuas et metuas solus_," he said to the Fat Lady.

"I don't think she was meant to hear that," sniffed the Fat Lady.

"Shut up," was all Harry said to _her_.

"That's Latin," said Roxanne, "it means dread fear and fear only."

Harry remembered what Lupin had said when Harry had asked why he hadn't let him face the Bogart in class and Harry had told him the Bogart would have become Dementors, not Voldemort, Lupin had replied with, "that suggests that what you fear most of all is – fear. Very wise, Harry."


	7. Slytherin Common Room

**Chapter 7 **

**Slytherin Common Room**

Roxanne was about to follow Harry in when the Fat Lady stopped her.

"I'm sorry love but you're not allowed in here," she said.

"Oh…ok. See you later, Harry," she muttered. She left without another word, dreading sleeping in the Slytherin Tower. On the way down the stairs leading to the Gryffindor Tower she bumped into a boy and nearly fell back.

"Sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!" said the boy. It was Mark Evans.

"No problem."

"Ok well…I'll see you around then," he said cheerfully.

Roxanne walked a bit more before realising she didn't know where the Slytherin Tower was. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, she met some seventh years on the third staircase.

"Look, its that Winters girl," said one beefy boy with no neck.

"You look lost," said a girl with strawberry blonde hair.

"I am."

"Follow us," the blonde-haired girl said.

Roxanne nodded and walked behind the small group of Slytherins. Some of the portraits whispered and pointed while they went through corridors, behind tapestries and hidden doors. They were going deeper and deeper underneath the school.

They reached a stretch of bare, damp stonewall.

"_Diaboli ad portas_," said the chubby boy.

_Devil at the gates…What a weird password_, thought Roxanne.

A stone door concealed in the wall slid open. The seventh years marched through it and Roxanne followed.

The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stonewalls and ceiling, from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in carved chairs, deep in conversation.

"The sixth years mostly sit over there," said the girl, pointing to a large part of the common room. As she said that a blonde boy turned his head and grinned widely.

"Come here, Roxanne! Make yourself at home," called Malfoy, a look of deep satisfaction on his pointy face.

Forgetting what she had promised Harry, she walked over to the group of Slytherins and sat down as far away from the rest as possible. Though she loathed Malfoy already, she had decided she had to make some friends in Slytherin. Malfoy was sitting next to Pansy with his arm around her shoulder. Goyle was staring into a slightly smaller fire than what Roxanne had seen. It had great, fanged snakes carved into the mantelpiece and the flames were a dull purple.

"Roxanne, this is Marilee Deville," said Malfoy, pointing to a pretty, black girl, "Leila Murphy." He indicated to a scrawny girl with thick brown hair, making her look much like a broomstick. "Kacia Smith." An oriental looking girl. "Millicent Bulstrode." She looked like she was related to Goyle. "And Brontë Adaway." He pointed to a boy with a tanned but skeletal face and very high cheekbones.

"They're all in sixth year. These two," he said, pointing to two boys in the corner, "are in fifth. Malcolm Baddock." A very short, brown-haired boy. "And Graham Pritchard." Indicating a lanky boy with black hair to his shoulders, who was pouring over a small book.

"This is Roxanne _Winters_," said Malfoy with emphasis.

They all smiled and nodded. Roxanne gave Malfoy a dark look. Graham looked up from his book. Roxanne noticed the name, _Top 100 Feared Names Of The 1990's. _

"Your name is seventh," said Graham, holding up the book, "mines not even in here," he added disappointedly.

"That's a good thing," muttered Roxanne.

He shrugged and went back to reading the book.

"So now you've met the gang. I'm off to bed," said Malfoy, "show her to your dorm," he whispered into Pansy's ear. He kissed her on the cheek, got up and left.

"Come on," said Pansy. Roxanne followed her out of the common room and up a flight of stairs. Their dormitory was painted indigo and was very gothic. The four-poster beds were made of dark mahogany and each had a different animal on the heads. Secretly, Roxanne really liked the look of it.

"You sleep here, below Kacia," said Pansy, pointing to the bunk in the far corner. The head was a tiger, its mouth opened in a roar. Her belongings were on her bed and she spent fifteen minutes sorting it out and putting her clothes in the chest of drawers. She slept better than she had for ages, which worried her terribly.


	8. Newfound Family

**Chapter 8 **

**Newfound Relative**

As he put on his uniform, Harry wondered how Roxanne was. He imagined himself putting on a Hogwarts jumper with a Slytherin crest instead if a Gryffindor one. He shivered and went down to have breakfast. Just as he entered the Great Hall Roxanne ran towards him and grabbed him in a bear hug.

"Was it that bad?" joked Harry.

"Worse," she said with a muffled voice as she buried her head into Harry's jumper.

"Come on, lets go ask Professor Dumbledore if you can sit with us," said Harry.

They walked up to the teachers' table and Harry was instantly greeted warmly.

"Hello Harry," said Professor Dumbledore. He looked considerably older and more wrinkles showed themselves as he smiled gently.

"Hi Professor. I was just wondering if Roxanne could sit with us at the Gryffindor?" he asked, dreading a negative answer.

Dumbledore smiled up at Roxanne, which made her feel much better.

"Of course you may! But when it comes to awarding the House Cup you have to sit in your rightful house," he said gravely.

'Rightful house.' Those two words echoed through Roxanne's mind as she walked back to the Gryffindor table. The second she sat down Malfoy, Pansy and Goyle marched over.

"What are you doing?"

"Sitting with my boyfriend," replied Roxanne, beaming at Harry.

"Boyfriend?" Pansy sneered, "what a weird couple."

"The 'boy who lived'," said Malfoy scathingly, "with the daughter of the couple who helped murder his parents. Very weird indeed. Well, see you in class, Roxanne," he said, enjoying the shocked look on both their faces.

"What was he on about?" asked Harry, turning to Roxanne.

She had a fearful look on her face. Ron, Ginny and Hermione were speechless. Neville look as though he'd rather be anywhere else but here.

A bell rang through the hall informing the students to go to their first class. Roxanne let out a tiny "eep!" and she ran to her next class, Herbology. She saw Malfoy and marched into him. He grinned at her but him grin faded when he saw the incensed expression on Roxanne's face. He opened his mouth to speak but before any sound came out Roxanne pushed him viciously so he stumbled against Pansy.

"What in the hell was that for?" he yelled.

"You had no right to tell him that, you prick!" she screamed at him.

"Don't you dare push him!" shrieked Pansy Parkinson.

"He bloody well deserved it!"

"He had to know some time, Roxanne," growled Malfoy, though he looked pleased with himself.

"I know that! But the last person I wanted to tell him was you! And now…" tears appeared in her eyes, "and now he'll hate me."

"Settle down class, settle down," said Professor Sprout, obviously oblvious to what had just happened, "today we're going to study Dye-Desires. Who knows what's so special about this little plant?" she asked, holding up a basic, dark purple flower with little purple leaves on the indigo stem. "Kacia?"

"It changes to the viewer's favourite colour. So no one knows what it really looks like when nobody is around," said Kacia, "its green to me."

"Very good. What else? Roxanne?"

"Some of the chemicals in it are the same found in Metamorphmagus' blood," said Roxanne monotonously.

"Excellent! Now we're going to extract that chemical because you will be using it in Potions," explained Professor Sprout.

They all walked back into the castle holding small bottles of liquid. Roxanne's saw everyone else carry violet liquid but everyone else saw different colours. Malfoy saw red and Pansy's was pink.

As Roxanne entered the Potions class she spotted Harry sitting near the back. She felt suddenly sick and wished she didn't have this class. She didn't know whether to sit near him or away from him. Luckily, Hermione asked her to work next to her.

"I trust you all have your Dye-Desire liquid?" asked Snape, talking to the Slytherins. They mumbled affirmatively.

"Now I'm afraid, you have to find a Gryffindor partner," said Snape, a smirk playing on his lips.

Roxanne immediately looked at Hermione. She grinned and nodded. Nobody else moved.

"Really, do I have to spoon feed you lot?" Snape barked at the Gryffindors. He began pairing people up himself.

"Weasley with Malfoy. Parkinson with Brown." They both groaned loudly and moved together most reluctantly. "Potter…hmm," said Snape, sneering, "with Winters I think."

Hermione's hand shot up.

"Yes Miss Granger?" said Snape, rolling his eyes.

"Roxanne's already with me sir!"

"Are you the teacher here, Granger?" Hermione shook her head, blushing. "Well then, what I say goes. Winters with Potter, _now_! And Granger, you can go with Miss Bulstrode."

Hermione muttered something under her breath and moved her stuff next to Millicent, who had a frighteningly happy look on her burly face.

Harry stared at Roxanne inquisitively as she put her equipment on his table. She ignored his curious gaze and started lighting a fire. But after five minutes she got annoyed. She dropped the chameleon eyeball she had in her hand and turned to face him.

"Is it true?" he said simply.

"Yes – but I don't even know the story. I don't even know how," she said darkly, throwing the eyeball into the bubbling cauldron fiercely.

"Why not?"

"I was never told and I didn't want to find out," she muttered, adding the Dye-Desire fluid. The contents of the cauldron hissed and turned a striking shade of purple.

"As you all should know, everybody will see the potion a different colour. That means I can't tell you if its right by looking at it," said Snape, "but it is right if it's bubbling and is very thin. Unlike Longbottom's here," he said, peering over Neville's cauldron. He was with Leila Murphy who was sitting on her stool not lifting a finger.

"What do you call this?" snarled Snape.

"M-metamorphing potion. Sir," said Neville, sweat pouring down his face.

"No Longbottom. This is some deplorable concoction nothing near what I asked you to do. Its not bubbling and its thick. Somewhat like its maker," he added, leering at Neville. Leila laughed, as did many other Slytherins.

"Leila, I'm sure you're more than capable to fix this mess."

Roxanne turned back to Harry. "That's the reason my parents – if you'd even call them parents – are in Azkaban. They could be dead for all I know…or care," said Roxanne, avoiding Harry's gaze.

"How come they were never mentioned?"

"Because most people thought they didn't have much to do with it. But they obviously didn't know the whole story."

She looked up at him, expecting to see an angry face glaring back at her. But to her relief Harry just looked slightly confused.

"You're not mad at me…are you?"

"Of course not. It's not your fault," he said, adding powdered bezoar horn. Snape walked up to their cauldron, examined it and walked away.

"Ha! He couldn't find anything wrong with it!" exclaimed Harry, punching the air.

After Potions they made their way to the Hall to have lunch. Neville was already sitting at their usual place next to another boy whom Harry did not know.

"Hey guys! This is Mark, Mark Evans," said Neville.

"Hi," they all said to him.

"Evans?" repeated Harry. That was his mother's name before she married his father…in fact, the boy even looked like her!

"Wasn't Evans your mother's maiden name?" said Hermione.

"Yeah…yeah it was. Tell me, did you ever know a woman called Lily Evans?" he asked Mark, "she married James Potter. And…and she was muggle-born."

"Lily…yeah I do. She was my granddad's brother's son's daughter. So that would make her my auntie," a look of dawning comprehension crossed his face, "so that makes you my cousin!"

"Wow! Dumbledore said I had no other relatives!" said Harry. He had relatives! It was shocking to discover, but seemed too strange to be real. The name Mark Evans echoed in his memory from not too long ago.

"Aw cool! My mum said she always wanted to know more about our family tree. Wait 'til I tell her we're related to you!" said Mark excitedly.

"So you have a family?" asked Ron.

"Just my mum. I don't have any brothers and sisters and my dad left when I was three and never heard from him again. He was a wizard and my mum's a muggle. I'd never heard of the magical world until last May!"

"You've both got exactly the same eyes," Roxanne pointed out.


	9. Trouble in Hogsmeade

**Chapter 9 **

**Trouble in Hogsmeade**

The bell rang again and Harry and Roxanne separated. She had Defence Against the Dark Arts and he had Charms. Inside the classroom the teacher was sitting behind the desk.

"Could you all please sit alphabetically by your first names as I have a really bad short term memory and I would hate to forget all your names. You can change after the first few weeks," she said, smiling. She was very tall and slim and wore a plain; figure hugging black dress and a light blue pointed hat. She looked very young. Her dark blue eyes showed warmth behind her glasses.

Pansy sat on Roxanne's left while a boy sat at her right.

"Thank you! Now, my name is Professor Scota. I used to go to this school when I was younger. I left in my fifth year and moved to Southern Ireland. Anyone in here from Ireland?"

A few people put their hands up, including Roxanne.

Professor Scota beamed at them. She then cleared her throat and looked very serious.

"For the next month or so, Professor Dumbledore as asked me to teach you things to you should have learned in fifth year. I heard the last teacher was somewhat inadequate," she added delicately.

"If you mean inadequate as in crap then yeah, she was!" said Marilee. Everybody laughed, even Professor Scota.

"What house were you in when you were here?" asked Malfoy.

"Ravenclaw. The Sorting Hat took about five minutes to decide between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor," she said, chortling at the embarrassing memory.

"Anyway – as I was saying. We are going to practise duelling for a while, as due to certain events it is the law to know how to duel," she said, frowning. "But lets hope you never have to use such skills."

"Please pair up with someone you think is as educated as you at this."

Malfoy stood next to Roxanne, smirking at her.

"Would you leave me alone?" she hissed.

"Everybody have a partner? Good…"

Professor Scota evidently was a very skilled dueller and the students left the class as they had entered. No burn marks, cuts or bruises – but their heads were full of knowledge they had never known before. Luckily they had changed partners twenty minutes into the class.

Roxanne checked her timetable and nearly squealed with delight as she saw the next lesson. Care of Magical Creatures. Not only did she love learning about animals but also they were with the Gryffindors.

"Hullo Roxanne," said Ron and Hermione as they made their way down to Hagrid's hut.

"I can't believe this oaf is still teaching," said Malfoy loudly.

"What you gonna do? Tell you dad?" sneered Ron.

"Unless you want a red face to match your hair, Weasley, I'd shut up with I were you," he said.

Ron opened his mouth to retort but Hagrid interrupted.

"Follow me!" Hagrid bellowed.

They walked so far around the perimeter of the forest that the castle and the lake were out of sight. The class gasped as they all caught sight of three small creatures spitting fire inside an enclosure fenced with thick planks of wood. Harry recognised it as the place he had seen the Hungarian Horntail in fourth year.

"Oh Hagrid," Hermione moaned softly.

The creatures were dragons, about five feet tall and hissing viciously. There was a silvery blue one with long pointed horns who was simply staring at everyone. A scarlet one with a fringe of glinting gold spikes around its pointy face and a dark green one with a long, spiky tail. They were all harnessed securely to the fence but the class still surged backwards a metre or two.

But unlike the rest of the class, Roxanne found them magical and breathtaking.

"That silver one there is a Swedish Short-Snout, then the red one's a Chinese Fireball and the Emerald Hibernian," said Hagrid, bursting with pride. "All still yunguns, its hard to tame dragons, ye see, but easier if ye start 'em from hatchlings."

"And I thought the Hippogriffs were bad," muttered Malfoy.

"Can I touch one, Hagrid?" pleaded Roxanne.

"If ye know how to," said Hagrid, happy that someone shared his love for dragons.

Hagrid climbed over the fence and walked towards the smallest one, the Swedish Short-Snout. It looked up at him audaciously but didn't squirm as Hagrid picked it up like you would a snake. It was definitely the youngest one, but still rather menacing. He brought it towards Roxanne who was the only pupil near the fence.

"Ye can stroke it. These ones are tame – compared to the wilduns," he added.

Roxanne reached out a shaking hand and stroked the dragons silver head. It growled softly as if purring and grey smoke poured out of its nostrils. Once they saw Roxanne do this, a few more students walked up to the fence. But Malfoy was the first to stroke a dragon, the Emerald Hibernian. He grinned when the dragon nuzzled his hand affectionately but quickly changed his happy expression when he saw his fellow Slytherins gawping at him.

"The Chinese Fireball and the Swedish two are girls and the Hibernian one's a feller."

"They're quite cute really. In a weird sorta way," said Ron as he stroked the Chinese Fireball, who's scales were nearly the same colour as his hair.

"There gonna be the new Hogwarts guards!" said Hagrid, "but Dumbledore said we could study 'em for a bit. They need names though. Roxanne, would ye like to name 'em?"

"Yeah!" said Roxanne ecstatically. She knew what names to call them straight away. It was like when you plan what you're going to call your children. "I think the red one should be called Orinda, the silvery one Kaida and the green one…Varden."

Roxanne's happy mood continued for the rest of the day. In fact, apart from a few nasty remarks from a headstrong Hufflepuff and a younger Slytherin, the week went very smoothly. She was going to Hogsmeade with Harry and the rest that Saturday. She met up with them outside the Fat Lady's portrait. When they reached Hogsmeade they went into Honeydukes first. They came out with bags of sweets and then went into the Three Broomsticks for a Butterbeer.

"Mmm, Chocolate Butterbeer. Seven please," said Roxanne to Madam Rosmerta. Mark helped her carry then back to their table and they sat down.

"So, Roxanne. How have things been in Slytherin?" asked Ginny, saying the thing everybody wanted to ask.

Roxanne didn't answer for a few seconds, she was thinking of a story.

"Its not that bad. I'm a loner – but hey, it's better than hanging out with _them_." That was far from the truth. She had been talking with the Slytherins quite a lot. She couldn't help it; they didn't seem all that bad. They just had a really bad reputation, which was unfair. Malfoy was usually with his girlfriend.

"Just tell me if they're giving you any crap. I wanna good reason to smash Malfoy to pulp," said Ron, strangling the air.

A sudden breeze blew in, ruffling everybody's hair. Harry glanced over to whom had entered. _Oh no_' he thought as Cho and two friends walked in.

"You get the drinks, I've got to talk to someone," Cho said to her two friends. Harry felt himself sink deeper into his chair.

"Hi Harry. 'Em…can I speak to you a moment? Alone," she said to him.

"Yeah…sure," he mumbled in reply. He brought his tankard over to a table in the far corner.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," she said quickly, "I expected more from you because…well because you had survived and Cedric didn't. And when you didn't do certain stuff or talk about certain things I just felt very disappointed and…well I'm sorry." She gazed at Harry with those soft hazel eyes, waiting for a reply.

What Cho had just said didn't sink in; he was still staring at her perfect oriental complexion and black silky hair…

"Oh um…that's ok. I wasn't really ready for a relationship then. I was too immature," he admitted, laughing awkwardly.

"So, I was kinda wondering if maybe…maybe you wanted to try again?" she said, her voice barely audible.

"Well I'm already going out with…'em…Roxanne," he said, forgetting her name for a second.

"Roxanne Winters?" she repeated, shocked.

Harry nodded, fidgeting nervously.

"B-but you do know about her?"

"Yes. But she's not like her family," said Harry.

Cho looked quite angry.

"How long?"

"Nearly two weeks now," he said, raising his eyebrow. Was Cho jealous?

"Oh…ok. Fine," she muttered. She stood up and put her chair under the table. "I still really like you Harry," she said softly. Then she walked back to her friends.

"What was that about?" asked Ron.

"She just wanted to say sorry for last year," replied Harry. He could feel Roxanne staring at him. Out of all the things he had told her, he had never even mentioned Cho.

Hermione gave Harry a knowing look. She had seen Harry look at her.

"Who was she?" Roxanne asked finally.

"She's on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. She was just apologising for…a Quidditch thing," lied Harry.

Ron frowned. What did Harry have to hide? Before they left the Three Broomsticks, Ron and Hermione dragged Harry into a corner and bombarded him with questions.

"Did she ask you out?"

"Do you still like her?"  
"Did you tell Roxanne about her?"

"Did she mention Cedric, _again_?"

"Yes, yes, no, yes," said Harry, sighing deeply.

"She talked about Ced –?"

"You still like her?" interrupted Hermione, thunderstruck.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Its really none of your business."

"Yes it is. We're your friends, Harry. Who else would you ask for advice?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" snapped Harry.

"Oh…I didn't mean it like that. I meant in school," explained Hermione. _Don't you dare go into a feeling-sorry-for-yourself mood again_, thought Hermione.

"But you do like Roxanne don't you?" asked Ron.

"Yes! A lot."

"You need to tell her that you used to go out with her."

"I will, don't worry," muttered Harry.


	10. Gryffindor versus Slytherin

**Chapter 10 **

**Gryffindor versus Slytherin**

When Harry told Roxanne about Cho later that evening in the Library, she didn't mind.

"I'm just amazed you've only been out with one person. I thought I would have to beat girls off of you!" was all she said as she untangled her hair from Ebony's claws.

Harry felt a great weight lift off his shoulders and then it came back again, but in a more literal manner. He looked up and saw Hedwig, sticking out her leg in his face. He took the note, quickly moving his head aside so her large wings did not hit him in the face and read the short sentence on the parchment.

"I've been made captain!" he said suddenly.

"Really? Wow!" said Roxanne, wide eyed.

"Excellent…we're playing Slytherin in a few weeks. I wonder why I wasn't told earlier?"

"Hard decision I guess, Katie Bell is great as well."

"Yeah…so I guess I'd better get try outs ready…"

"Oh yeah…that's what I was meaning to tell you," said Roxanne, running her hand through her hair. "Because one of Slytherin's Chasers has left…I was asked to take his place and I couldn't refuse."

"I'm gonna be playing against you?"

Roxanne nodded meekly. "We did our try outs a few days ago."

"Well you better wear extra padded trousers," he said.

"Why?"

"Because its going to hurt when you get knocked off your broom!" he said smugly.

"Whatever!" said Roxanne, giving him a soft slap across the head.

"Its true actually," said Ron, entering the Library.

"You two are so full of yourselves!"

Ron started doing a war dance around with Roxanne shouting loudly;

_We're gonna win!_

_We're gonna win!_

_We're gonna beat Slytherin,_

_We're gonna win!_

Then Harry started calling "Weasley is our King!" at the top of his voice while Roxanne scowled at them.

"Get out! Get out! Get out!" screeched Madam Pince, charming their quills and books to chase them out of the library.

Try outs were held the next day, which was good as a match with Slytherin was not far off. It aggravated Harry slightly that they would not fit in as much practises, but he was glad to be captain. The turn out was troublingly large. All years had come to try and it took him fifteen minutes to shoo out the first years. First he checked the chasers and narrowed the twenty down to two. Katie Bell, Ginny Weasley and a girl Harry had barely ever seen called Berenice Tawford, who had shoulder-length chestnut hair and rather large ears and nose.

The new beater was harder to get. Out of the ten most were small, weak or could barely fly. In the end he chose Neville Longbottom, who was so happy about the news he almost toppled off his broom. Harry hadn't the heart to tell him that the only reason he was chosen was not because of his flying abilities, but due to the fact he was quite large and strong.

Ron performed the amazing feat of saving every goal shot at him and thus became Keeper. This caused some hassle with the other hopefuls, who accused Harry of choosing his close friends.

"No, they were simply better than you," he had argued, sending the burly fifth years away.

Practise went smoothly, unless they had a crowd, then Ron failed in everything. The cold weather didn't help either. The morning before the match, Harry felt that familiar fluttery feeling as he made his way down to the Great Hall. He was glad he was a Seeker, which meant he wouldn't have to come into contact with Roxanne.

For the Slytherin team, Goyle and Millicent Bulstrode were the Beaters. No one mentioned why Crabbe wasn't at school but Millicent had taken his place. Rathrold had left to be replaced by a seventh year called Damon Rathrold, a chaser along with Pucey and Roxanne. A lad called Bletchley was the Keeper. Malfoy had still made it as the Seeker, and apart from Roxanne, was the smallest on the team.

As Roxanne walked out of the changing rooms her stomach lurched as she saw Ron and Harry a few metres away from her. Ron grinned and pointed at her and then tapped his hip. Roxanne took this as a 'we're-gonna-kick-your-ass' gesture. She stuck her tongue out at him and gripped her own Nimbus 2001 -her aunty had bought her last Christmas- even harder. Lee Gordan had left school and now his younger cousin who was in third year, (Ravenclaw) Jedd, was doing the commentating.

"Good morning people!" he boomed down the microphone, "let me introduce to you the Gryffindor team, where you will see faces new and old!" The Gryffindor team flew out, waving their hands at the crowd. "Potter, the new captain and still the best seeker Hogwarts has seen for a while, Bell, Weasley and Tawford are the chasers, all girls 'eh? Ron Weasley has kept his role as the keeper and you can see Longbottom and Sloper as the Beaters!" Roars and cheers echoed through the stadium and Harry did a loop-de-loop on his broom.

"We're sure to win now if Longbottom's playing!" said Malfoy loudly, clapping along with the rest, but it was a derisive applause.

"Shut up," Roxanne said to him.

Jedd continued, "And now the Slytherin team! A new face, Damon Rathrold has become the new chaser and captain. I've been told he's a brilliant player, must've been hibernating for the past six years!" The crowd laughed and Damon scowled at the commentator. "-Winters and Pucey along with him. Keeper Bletchley, Goyle and Bulstrode as beaters, Malfoy has held the position of Seeker."

The Slytherin crowd yelled and applauded.

"Captains shake hands," ordered the referee, Madam Hooch, as Harry and Rathrold reached each other. Harry remembered seeing the opposite team always trying to hurt the other person's hand when shaking. He attempted this but Rathrold's hands seemed to be made of steel.

"Mount your brooms." Madam Hooch placed the whistle on her mouth and blew.

The balls were released and fourteen players shot upwards. Harry was too busy watching Roxanne to see how good she was on her broom to check which way the Snitch went.

"And they're off! Tawford with the Quaffle…passes to Bell who passes to Ginny Weasley – what an amazing block by Winters! She passes to Pucey…passes it back to Winters – she's going to score! No! Excellent save by Ron Weasley!"

Ron, grinning proudly, through the Quaffle back to his sister.

"I'll get you next time," Roxanne shouted to him, winking.

"Weasley to Bell…passes it to Tawford – watch out for that Bludger!"

Goyle had hit a Bludger with all his might to Berenice. It hit her full on in the face – she managed to stay on her bloom but she couldn't see for a few seconds.

"That looked painful. But it was fair and square… Slytherin's in possession of the Quaffle… Rathrold to Winters, avoids a Bludger from Sloper – YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

As he had failed hitting Roxanne with a Bludger, Sloper attempted to hit her with his bat. He even missed that but still whacked the Quaffle out of her grip.

"Penalty to Slytherin, Roxanne puts it away no problem. This is gonna be a long match, folks!" Jedd added cheerfully.

Meantime, Harry was getting annoyed with Malfoy always behind him.

"Can't you look somewhere else?" he snapped.

"Can't bare the fact that your girlfriend's beating you?" he sneered.

Not knowing how to answer this, Harry sped of to the opposite side of the pitch.

"Weasley to Tawford, I think she's ok now – Tawford passes it back to Weasley. Dives around Keeper Bletchley – my she's good on a broom! GRYFFINDOR SCORE!"

Cheers from three houses fill the air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins.

"Excellent goal, Ginny!" Roxanne shouted to her.

"OI WINTERS! You're on the Slytherin team! No cheering on the Gryffindors!" Rathrold yelled at her.

"I was just complementing a friend!" she shouted back. "Jerk," she muttered under her breath.

After half an hour the score was Gryffindor fifty and Slytherin sixty. Harry was furious; he could not lose his first game as captain! But there was no sign of the Snitch and Malfoy had obviously been practising.

"Winters to Rathrold…to Pucey – wait a minute – was that the Snitch?"

There was a murmur of excitement from the crowd. But Harry had already seen the Snitch. Unbeknown to Roxanne, it was floating around the end of her broom. Harry zoomed towards her, followed by Malfoy. She looked at him confused and then glanced at her broom. Automatically, she smacked the Snitch with the end of her broom so it flew off to the other side of the pitch and disappeared. Harry stared at her dumbfounded. The other three houses hissed loudly.

"'Er…according to Professor McGonagall that's not against the rules…let's continue _shall we_?" said Jedd, clearly angry too.

"Well done Roxanne!" said Malfoy and the other team members.

Harry scowled and flew off to where he saw the Snitch fly.

"Gryffindor in possession. Weasley to Bell… Rathrold's coming up behind her. Come on Gryffindor!" Jedd bellowed, "She throws it…Bletchly dives, misses – IT'S A GOAL!"

Malfoy cursed.

"So its sixty all! Winters to Rathrold to Pucey to – Ginny Weasley has it! She passes to – Winters takes it again," he muttered in a bored voice, "passes Weasley, passes Bell. Pucey grabs it back –what a swerve- throws to Rathrold – gets hit hard in the face by a Bludger from Longbottom, hope it broke his nose – only joking Professor – Rathrold drops the Quaffle. Tawford grabs it – what are the Seekers doing?"

Harry was racing towards the stands were the Ravenclaws were watching. They all gasped and ducked. The Snitch raced in between their legs and out the other side, with Harry hot on pursuit, followed by Malfoy. Harry reached out his hand – it was so close! All the other players had stopped to watch this go on. Except for Roxanne. She took the Quaffle straight out of Tawford's hands and raced to the goal.

"The Snitch just an inch from Harry's hand. _What_? Oh…a goal to Slytherin," he said bluntly, "must have missed that. Sorry Professor."

This snapped the other players out of their trances. Just as Pucey threw the Quaffle to Roxanne, the audience erupted into applause and screams. Harry had caught the Snitch. Without thinking, Roxanne threw down the Quaffle angrily and sped off towards the changing room.


	11. The Realisation

**Chapter 11 **

**The Realisation**

"What a fluke," muttered Malfoy as he stormed into the changing rooms.

"If everybody had been paying attention instead of staring at the Seekers we would have got a better score!" said Roxanne snappishly. She wasn't annoyed that they had lost, just that the team had been so ignorant.

"Well you should have hit the Snitch to Malfoy instead of whacking it to the other side of the PITCH!" Rathrold yelled at her.

"Don't have a go at her! She scored four of the six goals!" Malfoy shouted back, standing in between Roxanne and Rathrold. "And anyway doing that would have been breaking the stupid rules!"

"Not if she'd done it carefully," he said, stepping closer to Malfoy. He was stronger built than Malfoy.

"Oh, and how do you suppose she could have done that?" he retorted, giving his captain a disgusted look.

"Sticking up for Winters, Malfoy? You're perfect together. Both in the same league," taunted Rathrold.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Malfoy impudently. He stepped closer to Rathrold, who was easily a foot taller than him.

"I mean," said Rathrold, leaning so close to Malfoy their noses were a few inches apart, "you would suit each other because both your families are in Azkaban."

Malfoy swore loudly at Rathrold and jumped on him.

"Get off you idiot!" cried Roxanne, attempting to pull Malfoy off. But he was much stronger than her.

He thumped Rathrold in the stomach but Rathrold retaliated by hitting Draco's broom across his head. The broom snapped in two and Malfoy fell to the ground. Rathrold stepped towards him to hit him again but Roxanne stood over Draco.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she said. He stared at her questioningly. "Because not only is he the only good Seeker in Slytherin, but he has most of the Slytherins on his side."

Rathrold considered this and backed away. He stormed out of the tent nearly knocking Snape over.

"Sorry sir," he grumbled before stomping off.

Snape smoothed the front of his robe and looked at the team with disgust.

"Do you know," he said slowly, pacing the room, "what it's like to watch my team lose against such an easy and pathetic rival such as the Gryffindors? The loss of yet _another match _is painful enough but to see all the other houses celebrating it is torturing."

"We tried the best we could," muttered Malfoy, now off the floor. His blonde hair was stained red but he ignored it bravely.

"Obviously not. Roxanne, how come it took you a whole minute to realise the Snitch was beside your ankles?"

"I was too busy scoring goals, _sir_," she replied, straining to keep her voice calm.

Snape rolled his eyes, "its not that hard to notice. It glows gold and has glittering silver wings. Are you blind?"

Roxanne gathered her stuff and ran out of the tent. She wasn't going to take that, especially from _Snape. _

Before she reached the castle she felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around and came face to face with Malfoy.

"Just wanted to say thanks for stopping Rathrold. Though I could a handled it," he added briskly.

Roxanne smiled vaguely. "I'm sure. And thanks for sticking up for me."

"No problem. He's such an idiot, and you were the man – I mean woman of the match. Potter just got lucky," he said spitefully.

"He's a very good Seeker, Draco. It's not just luck," said Roxanne, still smiling.

"Yeah well…I really don't get what you see in him."

"Of course you wouldn't. You don't know him and you're a boy."

"Seems like a big-headed show off to me," he muttered.

"He didn't ask to be famous," snapped Roxanne, getting angry now. "And the Daily Prophet do make up half of it most of the time."

Malfoy looked about uncomfortably.

"You've got to get to know a person before you judge them, Draco. You don't, that's what's your problem." She walked back to her dorm, leaving Malfoy stare after her, full of mixed emotions.

Roxanne wasn't mad with Harry, she was just a bit miffed. She didn't show it though. Apart from when Peeves threw a few hockey sticks at her. Fortunately, they didn't hurt her much but her ego was very bruised. She sent curse after curse at him until Ron managed to stop her and a few Hufflepuffs threatened to report her.

Two months went by and Roxanne's birthday was dawning. November the second. Professor Dumbledore said at the Halloween feast that to raise everyone's spirits they would hold a Fancy Dress Christmas Ball.

Roxanne had nothing planned for her birthday apart from winning the upcoming match against Ravenclaw.

On her birthday she was amazed by all the presents and cards she was given. Mr and Mrs Weasley sent her a box of homemade luxury chocolates; Ron gave her a special seat that you place on your broom to make riding more comfortable. Hermione gave her a book called _The Encyclopaedia on Dragons_. Ginny got her some candy and Neville gave her a purple scarf. A few more people gave her presents, the usual -money and clothing from her parents- including many Slytherins. Kacia Smith gave her a black, netted top and Leila Murphy bought her a statue of a horse much like a Thestral but with skin. But none of this prepared her for what she got from Malfoy. He walked up to her in the common room and gave her two parcels without saying anything. In one was a gorgeous black, satin dress.

"Wow!" whispered Roxanne, totally in awe as she gazed at the detailed red roses that climbed up the skirt bit and the bodice. It was very low cut and had flared sleeves.

"Draco this is…wow…" she said, utterly speechless. Why was he doing this? Maybe his mother told him to, since they were related and all.

"Open the other one," he said plainly.

She placed the dress down gently and began unwrapping the other one. Several people jumped as she squealed with delight. There lying on her lap was a Aurora Beam! The new and improved version of a Firebolt! She turned it over and saw the word _Aurora Beam _etched into the mahogany. It glowed a glittering blue like the Northern lights, it was quite mesmerizing. She felt a sudden jolt of guiltiness as the broom reminded her of Harry.

"These are amazing, Draco. But I can't accept this," she said, holding out the elegant broom.

"Why not?" he demanded, ignoring the held out broom.

"I just can't," she muttered sadly, placing the Aurora Beam back in the box.

"Is it because of Harry?"

"No…well yes. I promised him I wouldn't talk to you," she said, looking away as he sat down next to her.

"He's doesn't own you. You can talk to whoever you want," he said, and though Roxanne couldn't see, he had a look of hatred on his face.

"You don't understand, he hates your guts."

"Well I hate his," he muttered defiantly.

"Why though? What did he ever do to you? Before putting your father in Azkaban."

Malfoy didn't answer.

"You don't have a reason do you?" said Roxanne loudly.

"I do! In first year he had everybody's attention all the time, got into the Quidditch team, told me to get lost when he didn't even know _me_ and was loved because he faced You-Know-Who. Do you know how many times I've had to face him?" he said, as calm as possible, but as soon as he had spoken it he knew he shouldn't have. But he carried on. "Then in second year he made that entrance with his stupid car. In third he…he just continued being a bighead. In fourth he got into the stupid Triwizard competition. And they kept him in! That was total bullshit what Dumbledore said about not being allowed to get out of the competition. Of course you can! And in fifth he always started the fights! I bet he didn't tell you that did he?" he didn't wait for Roxanne's answer, which was 'no' anyway. "And now in sixth year he mocked me about my father twice and he's going out with the only girl I've ever liked," he finished. He, of course, did not mention the other reasons.

Roxanne opened her mouth to speak but couldn't think of anything to say.

"But you did say horrible things about Ron and Hermione," she said quietly, pretending she didn't hear the last bit.

"They deserved it," he muttered sourly, "always started it. Just because of my family they assume I'm as bad."

"I know how you feel."

"Really? Have you had to talk to You-Know-Who and listen to him discussing and planning murders with my father?" hissed Draco, his voice venomous.

"No, but you did give yourself that reputation. Like when you said to Harry and Ron you wished you knew who Slytherin's heir was so you could help–" she stopped, realising what she had just said.

"I don't remember saying it to Ron and Harry. I said it to Crabbe and Goyle but –they _were_ acting really weird…" He furrowed his brows in uncertainty.

"They're weird anyway. Well Goyle is but I don't know Crabbe."

"And I only said most of it so I didn't look soft." He turned slightly so he was face to face with Roxanne. "You're too good for Harry."

"Harry needs someone like me. He needs someone he can turn to. Don't you think he's been through enough already?" she said questioningly.

Draco obviously didn't. "But he doesn't treat you with what you deserve! He barely talks to you and I have never seen him hug you without you having to hug him first," he said truly.

"What, were you spying on me or something?"

Malfoy smirked. "Not really." His smile vanished and he looked gloomy. "I was really hoping you'd wear that dress when I took you to the Ball. But it looks like I won't."

"I do like you Draco, but I'm with Harry," she said. She was about to say 'but not in that way.' But that would be lying. She did really like Malfoy, very much. It almost disgusted her. "Anyway, aren't you with Pansy?"

"Yeah but I don't really like her. She's annoying. If you said yes I would have dumped her like that," he muttered glumly, snapping his fingers.

Roxanne looked away once again. "Well, I'm going to bed."

"Take the broom, I bought it for you and I don't want it back," he said, standing up.

Before she knew what she was doing, Roxanne leaned forward and hugged Malfoy tightly. Partially out of sympathy but mostly because she wanted to know what it would be like. He buried his head into her black hair and enjoyed those few moments of bliss.

"Thanks for the presents. Goodnight," she whispered, and then she went to her dorm.

"Goodnight," he whispered back, feeling completely heartbroken.


	12. Christmas Dance

**Chapter 12 **

**Christmas Dance**

Obviously, Roxanne and Harry were going to the Fancy Dress Ball together on Boxing Day. Ron and Ginny had gotten into an argument about whom Ginny should go with.

"Just because you're my brother doesn't mean you decide who I can go out with!"

"I just don't want you getting hurt!" replied Ron, his ears going red. "Who are you going with anyway?"

"Mark Evans," she said smugly.

"Oh…well he's ok."

Ginny grinned and hugged her brother.

"I know you're just looking out for me. But I'm a big girl now!"

"Who are you going with, Ron?" asked Harry curiously.

"Dunno," he muttered, his ears going even redder.

"How about Hermione?" suggested Roxanne

"Me go out with Hermione? I don't think so," he said.

"Why not? Just as friends."

"It would be weird," he said, his eyes darting about the Library.

"Fine, it was just an idea. How about Lavender or Parvati or–"

"I don't like any of them!"

"Be difficult then," muttered Roxanne defeated, falling back onto a chair.

"Anyway, Hermione's probably going out with someone."

Just then Hermione walked in carrying about five large books. Roxanne ran up to her, startling the poor girl so she nearly dropped them all.

"Are you going to the dance with anyone?"

"Yeah, Neville asked me this morning," she said, staring blankly at Roxanne's disappointed face.

"Its just Ron's got no one to go with," explained Harry.

"Oh god! You lot are so lazy! I'm going to ask Berenice Tawford for you," said Roxanne, walking out of the Library. She had remembered the looks on Ron's face when Berenice had constantly come up to him to congratulate him on an excellent match.

She heard Ron run after her but she found Berenice before Ron caught up.

"Hey Berenice," said Roxanne, sliding up beside her.

"'Er…hi," she replied, cocking an eyebrow.

"Are you going to the dance with anyone?" Roxanne said again.

"No…" she answered slowly.

"Will you go with Ron?" Just then Ron ran down the stairs and stopped in horror as he saw Roxanne talking with Berenice. Berenice didn't notice him.

"'Em, yeah, ok," she said, blushing slightly.

Roxanne grinned at her and jogged over to Ron.

"She said yes."

"Really? Cool," said Ron, a smile spreading across his reddened face. He caught sight if Berenice, she gave him a little wave and walked off with her giggling friends.

As it was a fancy dress dance people _had _to dress up to attend. There was no theme but there were a couple of competitions going. For most unusual costume, for most well designed, etc. It took Roxanne a long while to decide whether to wear the magnificent dress Malfoy had gotten her or not. In the end she realised she had no other posh clothes so she did wear the dress. It fitted like a glove. She curled her hair and made her eyes dramatic with dark makeup. She also wore a black velvet choker with a ruby dangling from it. She wasn't exactly trying to look like anything, but people said she looked like some evil queen. She tried to take it as a complement.

She met up with Harry outside the Fat Lady's portrait. Many boys were just wearing a tux but Harry had made his skin pale with face paint and had flattened and parted his hair, making him look like Dracula. He was also wearing a cloak with a large collar, which made Roxanne burst into laugher. Hermione was wearing a very Victorian style dress. It was very wide and the top bit was a corset. Ginny dressed up like Catwoman. She wore a very figure hugging catsuit and stiletto boots along with cat ears, whiskers and a tail that was charmed to move like it was real. Ron had almost tried to tempt her out of wearing it but she wouldn't hear anything.

It was only fifth, sixth and seventh going to the Ball but it was still quite full. It was decorated wonderfully and little faeries swung lights above their heads. Roxanne nearly had a fit when she found out her favourite band, Coffin Crew, were playing along with the Weird Sisters. Coffin Crew got their name from the fact that two of the five members were (controlled) vampires. Roxanne taught Harry how to dance properly and they enjoyed the evening very much. Many people complemented Roxanne on her beautiful dress and after and hour or so Hermione ended up having to loosen the ribbons on her corset.

After all the Butterbeer, Rockshandy and other alcapops, Roxanne had to go to the little girls room. She excused herself and pushed through dancing couples and giggling girls. On her way out she saw Malfoy and tried to avoid his gaze but it was as if he was following her. He asked her to dance and she couldn't refuse, since most of his friends were looking. Her favourite song (Midnight Mayhem) was on. Of course the fear of Harry catching her did worry her, but once she was in Malfoy's arms that thought melted away.

"You're a very good dancer," she said, "or maybe that's just the alcapops talking."

"Probably," he said, laughing.

After that song ended Roxanne said goodbye reluctantly. When she got back to their small group Harry wasn't there.

"You spent a long time in the bathroom!" said Ron.

"It's a girl thing," she said, winking. "Where's Harry?"

"'Um…toilets," Ron said quickly, a little too quickly.

"Ok, I guess I'll just have another dr–" she cut off mid sentence. She had seen Harry, dancing with Cho. Cho was wearing a silver boob-tube and plastic-looking, tight trousers. Obviously she had dressed up as someone from the future but it gave her a cheap impression. Usually Roxanne wouldn't have been annoyed about this, but the fact that Harry hadn't asked her was what made her angry. Even though she didn't ask Harry to dance with Malfoy… She noticed Hermione and Ginny looking at her curiously.

"_What_?"

"Nothing," said Ginny curtly, looking away.

Hermione coughed quietly like she wanted to say something but wanted permission.

The song ended and Harry game back, a large grin on his face. He saw Roxanne who was trying to hide the look of disgust and his smile flickered.

"Shall I buy you a Rockshandy?" he asked her.

She shrugged moodily.

"Ok, I will then. Two Rockshandy's please," he said to the barman.

When Hermione, Ron and Ginny had left to dance Harry grabbed Roxanne's sleeve and pulled her outside to a large stone reindeer fountain. They both sat down on a beck and Harry turned to Roxanne.

"I saw you, you know," he said sharply.

"Ditto," she said cynically.

Harry gazed at the lights in the rose bushes.

"Do you like him?"

"I only danced with him, Harry."

"Do you?" he asked again.

"Only as a friend," she said, "anyway, I could ask you the same thing about Cho."

"You could," he said blankly, mystified with the lights.

There was something wrong with him.

"So?"

"So what?"

"Quit acting like this Harry! Do you like her or not?"

"No," he said bluntly.

There was a long awkward silence in which Roxanne could not make out whether he was lieing or not. She found it surprising that it almost hurt to lie to Harry, whom she cared about so deeply.

"Loads of people warned me about you," Harry said suddenly, still staring at the lights, which reflected in his green eyes.

"I bet," muttered Roxanne.

"But not about your family," he continued in that toneless voice, "they warned me that you might fall for someone in Slytherin."

"Well I haven't."

"Maybe not now, but you will."

"Would you stop being so pessimistic? It's getting on my nerves!" she snapped.

"Why don't you stop flirting with Malfoy?" he shot back, facing Roxanne.

"I am not!"

"Don't lie. I watched you dance with him. And watched you laugh at his jokes. Now I know what he meant when he said I would regret mocking his father," Harry said, fuming.

"FINE! You want the truth?" Roxanne shouted, standing up, "I do like him, ok? But I like you way more Harry!"

Harry drew back, disgusted. That hadn't been the answer he had expected. "How can I believe you?"

"Because…" she took Harry's hand in hers, "because I don't want to be with anyone but you Harry…"

Harry looked to the ground, avoiding her piercing stare. "He'll try to get you…"

"But he won't succeed," cut in Roxanne, her voice almost pleading. "Harry, I've liked you since I received your first letter! I've never felt like this-"

"I know what you mean," said Harry, holding her hand in his. His feelings for Roxanne were stronger than anything he felt for Cho. With Cho it had been a short obsession, but with Roxanne… He felt like he had known her all his life and he wanted to spend the rest of it with her.

"We were meant to be and no Malfoy will stand between that," spoke Roxanne, interrupting his thoughts. Something told her it was the right time to say those three words. But perhaps this wasn't love she was feeling? It seemed too much too soon and instead she pressed her lips against his and kissed him long and fervently.


	13. The Battle of the Houses

**Chapter 13 **

**The Battle of the Houses**

"You like her, don't you?" hissed Pansy.

Malfoy ignored her and continued pacing the carpet.

"You know I'm not going out with you because I like you, its because my mother said it was a 'good match'," she said mockingly, "WHATEVER! All you care about is yourself!"

"Would you shut up? I'm trying to think!"

"Probably thinking of a plan to get Roxanne to like you. She's mad," she derided.

"_Shut up woman_!" he yelled at her.

"And to think I've spent the past six months going out with you. What a waste of my life!"

Malfoy blocked his ears with his hands and kept pacing, rapt in thought.

"And people even warned me! 'Don't go out with him,' they said and did I listen? Nooo! I had to go _steady _with you!"

"SHUT UP OR I'LL BLOODY WELL MAKE YOU!" bellowed Malfoy, raising his hand.

Pansy looked at him reproachfully.

"You wouldn't touch me."

"WANNA BET?" he shouted, taking out his wand.

"Huh!" she said, stomping out of the common room, flicking her hair sulkily.

Malfoy was fully aware that everybody was staring at him.

"WHAT YOU LOT STARING AT?"

"Calm down, you stress head!" someone shouted at him, but a cowardly person, as they hid themselves behind a chair.

Malfoy roared angrily and ran out of the room. He had to find Roxanne, he had to tell her. The first person he saw was Ron Weasley who was just coming out of Potions detention.

"Hey - Weasley!"

Ron scowled and said, "What do _you _want?"

"D'ya know where Roxanne is? I need to ask her what we have for…'er…Charms homework."

"Ok, one, I wouldn't tell you anything if you had a wand at my head. And two, that's a load of crap, she told me herself she didn't have Charms homework."

"Just tell me where she is!" said Malfoy, curling his hands into fists.

"No."

"Listen Weasley, if you don't tell me where she is I'll–"

"You'll what?" Harry asked forebodingly, from down the hallway.

"Just tell me!"

"I don't think so. I don't want her anywhere near you," said Harry, folding his arms menacingly.

"She's in my bloody house!" said Malfoy exasperatedly, "I see her in nearly every lesson!"

"Well you won't be talking to her anymore then."

"You're not in charge of her. She can do what she wants."

"But you're trying to steal her! Just 'coz she's a Winters doesn't mean you're made for each other!" said Ron.

"I know that! And I never said I was stealing her. I've just got to speak to her," growled Malfoy, getting very annoyed now.

"I…don't…care," said Harry slowly.

"Then I'll find her on my own," snapped Malfoy. He turned around but suddenly felt something jabbed into his back.

"No you won't. Didn't you hear me? I don't want _you near her,_" said Harry, pushing his wand harder into Malfoy's back.

"POTTER! WEASLEY!" a voice screeched from behind them.

Harry leaned in close to Malfoy's ear.

"Next Sunday, midnight, the Orchard," he hissed. He quickly put his wand up his sleeve.

"Yes miss?" he said to Professor McGonagall as innocently as he could.

"What's happening here?"

"Nothing miss," muttered Malfoy, walking away. He cast an evil glance back at Harry then quickened his pace to spread the news.

"Good," said Professor McGonagall, eyeing Harry's sleeve and Ron's red ears.

It spread around the school very quickly that there was going to be a large duel in the Orchard. The Orchard was rarely visited and was quite well hidden, perfect for a duel. Since loads of people had joined the DA, (they had started it up again in October) Harry felt sure Slytherin would fall.

Many people were joining in the duel, yearning to hurt a Slytherin. As Harry knew Malfoy would come with backup. When the news reached Roxanne she went straight to Harry.

"What in the hell are you doing?" she said, trying not to raise her voice.

"Getting revenge."

"No way! You can't get revenge by getting chucked out of the school!"

"We've made safety measures. Tonight is the teachers meeting. We're going to get invisibility barriers and the same charms that surround Hogwarts around the Orchard. And you can't stop me," he added.

"But still! You could seriously hurt someone! And have you forgotten about the Aurors?"

"Of course not, they wont suspect a thing and wont be able to see anything."

"Ron! Tell him!" she said, turning to him.

"Bring your Invisibility cloak, mate. Might be handy."

Roxanne gaped at Ron.

"Hermione?" she whined pleadingly.

"I've tried to talk them out of it for the past three days," she said sorrowfully. "But I'm coming just in case."

"You can't do this Harry!" moaned Roxanne, tears appearing in her eyes.

"I can and I will," he said.

Roxanne fell back down on a chair and blinked back tears. This was all her fault. All of it. She still followed Harry to the Orchard, she had to. She was shocked to see so many people coming. Half were only watching but quite a few were eager to battle. Neville, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Marl Evans (whom looked particularly keen) and many more Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. When they reached the Orchard nearly every single Slytherin was there including some Ravenclaws. All of them out together added up to nearly the same amount against them. Malfoy caught Roxanne's eye and looked away, a look of aggression on his pale face.

"Draco please, don't!" begged Roxanne, her mascara pouring down her face. He ignored her totally, like she was an apple on one of the towering trees.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do this," said Harry, his wand ready in his hand.

"You've picked the wrong people to mess with!" snarled Rathrold, standing beside Malfoy.

"I can't watch!" whispered Hermione, grasping Roxanne's arm.

"You're a prefect! Do something!" Roxanne yelled at Hermione. She merely shook her head and curled up under a tree

"All talk no action," said Malfoy, twirling his wand. "Got us all here and I bet nothing will happen."

"Oh, believe me Malfoy, something will happen. To you! STUPEFY!" he roared, sending a jet of red light at Malfoy. He dived out the way and missed him; hitting a weedy looking second year behind him, who fell down in a dead faint.

"Nice Potter. For an amateur," he said, an evil grin playing on his face. He was reared up now; the Malfoy blood in him was heated and ready for battle. "_Diffindo!" _he yelled, pointing his wand at Neville. A gash appeared on Neville's thigh and blood splattered his robes. Hermione gasped.

Spells started flying everywhere.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" Seamus fell to the ground. "_Taranrallegra_!" Goyle's large legs went into a frenzied dance. "_Scourgify_!" Mark began choking on pink bubbles.

And amid this mayhem were Harry and Malfoy and their closest friends, firing more skilled spells at each other.

"_Serpensortia_!" shouted Harry, using a spell Malfoy had used on him in second year. The snake headed straight for Rathrold. "_Bite him_!" Harry hissed in Parseltongue. The cobra launched itself at Rathrold and sank its fangs into his arm.

"_Flagrate_!" Pansy screamed, a purple flame appeared on Dean's chest and he fell to the ground as if dead.

Malfoy opened his mouth to shoot a spell at Harry but Harry yelled, "_silencio_!" and no sound came out. Pansy quickly did the counter spell. Malfoy sent another spell at Harry.

"REDUCT–"

"NO!" screamed Roxanne, jumping in between them.

"Move aside, Roxanne!" shouted Malfoy.

"Don't you dare tell her what to do!" roared Harry.

"Why not? You do all the time!"

"_CRUCIO_!"

The bright blue light hit Malfoy full on in the chest and he cried out. He fell to the ground and writhed in pain.

"HOW DARE YOU!" screeched Pansy, "_PERHEXPLEX_!"

Harry flew back as an orange light hit him in the forehead and hit and apple tree. A trickle of blood ran down his forehead, following the lines of his scar and some late apples fell on his sprawled out body.

In the middle, Roxanne didn't know who to run to. Malfoy, still squirming with torture, or Harry who looked as if unconscious but his eyes were wide-open and white foam was appearing at the sides of his mouth.

She ran her hands through her hair fiercely. Around her people were falling like dominoes. All she could hear were explosions and cries of pain. How could the teachers not be aware?. She felt like World War three was going on in her mind… she felt her head might explode if she didn't do anything…

"STOP! Stop stop stop!" she screamed long and loudly. Of course not one listened. It wasn't a film were the maiden in distress cried out and some young man lifted her off her feet. This was real life and all Roxanne could do was sit down on the ground and sob uncontrollably.

"Roxanne? I need help. Some people are really badly injured!" said Hermione's pleading voice from above Roxanne.

"They won't stop!" she cried.

"They have, Roxanne! But we need to help them. Please?"

Roxanne rubbed away her tears fiercely and stood up. She first ran over to Harry.

"Hi Roxy…" he muttered, his eyes unfocused.

"Are you ok?" she asked, checking the back of his head. There was only a small cut.

"Yep! Couldn't be bedder," he said, grinning feverishly.

"I'm going to help other people ok?"

"I do," he said suddenly, grabbing Roxanne's arm.

"What?" she said, a sudden white vision of the two at an alter.

"I do. I'm sorry I lied but I do. I love you but I like Cho as well. Not as much as you but I do…"

Roxanne pulled her arm from his grasp, half in revulsion. _He's not well_, she told herself, _ignore him, he doesn't mean it_. She ran over to Malfoy.

"You ok?" he asked her before she could ask him the same thing.

"Yes I'm fine. What was that Pansy hit Harry with?"

"'Er…"

"Perplexer or something."

"She didn't? Stupid bi–"

"What? What was it?"

"It…well it mentally damages people's brains," he said, he cast a meaningful look at Harry, who was grinning at his cousin's unconscious body next to him.

Roxanne was speechless. _Mentally _damages? She didn't truly know what that meant. Roxanne helped Malfoy to his feet. She then went to Neville and abruptly felt the greatest repulsion for Malfoy as she saw the big pool of blood near Neville's leg.


	14. There’s Always a Reason for Treason

**Chapter 14 **

**There's Always a Reason for Treason**

There were two parts of the Hospital Wing. The severe injuries section and the mild injuries. Both sections were full. Harry, Rathrold, Dean, Mark Evans and more were in the serious injuries part. Madam Pomfrey was very worried about Harry. Even though the spell wasn't as powerful as it would be by a fully trained witch, it could still have some long-term effects. Everybody refused to tell the teachers what had happened, most because they didn't want to get in trouble but before the Battle of the Houses had started, they all made a pact that whoever squealed to the teachers would be ignored for the rest of their time in Hogwarts and most probably beaten up. The teachers did of course use Veritaserum on the less injured students but thanks to Hermione's brilliant mind she had cast a secret spell on _everyone _the second they had walked into the Invisibility Barrier. She had said she didn't agree with the duel but it would be best if the teachers didn't know. Not only would her friends and her get in trouble but also it would ruin the schools reputation and may get it shut down. The teachers had been fervent to find out but eventually they let it go. Even the parents of some students couldn't drag it out of them.

"Harry?"

"Y'ello," he said to Roxanne, grinning hazily.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked him, holding his clammy hands.

He blinked.

"Is he any better?" asked Ron.

"No," sobbed Roxanne, burying her head in Harry's chest.

"Hey mate, how're you keepin'?"

No reply, Harry just looked around as if trying to tell where the question came from.

"I'm going to kill Pansy!" snarled Ron.

"I'm going to kill her first," growled Roxanne

She stomped out of the Wing, followed by Ron.

"She's in the Slytherin common room, you can't come in," said Roxanne to Ron. He frowned but went back to the Hospital Wing to Harry's side.

"PANSY!" roared Roxanne, swinging open the doors to the girl's dorm.

Pansy spun around.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO HARRY?"

"He put the Crucio spell on Malfoy!" she said, fear in her eyes but her face remained brave.

"So why didn't you just use it back on him instead of PERMENANTLY DAMAGING HIS BRAIN!"

"I didn't! It doesn't…I didn't m-mean…"

"Well it has! Madam Pomfrey says there's only a small chance he will fully recover! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?" she screamed, lunging at Pansy's throat. Her long nails dug into Pansy's skin, piercing it.

"Stop! You're hurting me!" she wept.

"Get off her!" her friend screamed, trying to tug Roxanne off.

Roxanne didn't budge. Blood trickled down her fingers and down her sleeves. She suddenly felt two large hands pull her back and throw her against the wall.

"Jesus Christ, Roxanne! What in the hell do you think you're doing?" bellowed Rathrold.

Her head had hit of the wall hard so she was in no state to reply. She heard someone argue then someone picked her up and take her to another room. They sat down and she opened her eyes and saw Draco leaning over her.

"Ow…my head," she moaned.

She could feel Malfoy's breath on her face. One of his arms was around the back of her neck, keeping her head up. And the other was stroking her cheek. He wiped her tears away so slowly and gently it was like he was savouring every second. He bent down lower and kissed Roxanne tenderly on the lips. Despite herself, she kissed back, then realised what she was doing.

"No! No no no no!" she cried, falling off Malfoy's laps. "What do you think your doing?"

"Um…kissing you," he said in an evident tone.

"Well don't – don't ever…"

"Don't you dare tell me you didn't enjoy that!" he said, standing up.

"I have to go. I c-cant discuss this. Not when Harry's in the hospital," she murmured, walking away. She couldn't believe what she had just done and new for certain she would be punished. Perhaps expelled. She wiped her lips distractedly and made her way to Harry.

Back up in the Hospital Wing, Harry was feeling much better. He was alone as it was school time. He had been in there for two weeks and finally he could remember things. At first it was just simple things like the alphabet and who was who. The Brain Replenishing potion Madam Pomfrey had given him was working a treat. He heard the door open and someone talk to Madam Pomfrey.

"Why aren't you in lessons?" she asked curiously.

"Seventh year's have the day off," said Cho's voice.

"Ok then. Harry, you have a visitor!" said Madam Pomfrey, opening the curtains. Cho walked in and took the seat next to Harry's bed.

"Hi. You feeling any better?" she asked caringly.

"Yeah. Way better."

"Guess that duel wasn't such a good idea after all!" she said, laughing nervously.

"Yeah it was!" said Harry, sitting up.

"Are you joking? Neville nearly died!"

"Well there were some minor…drawbacks. But that taught Malfoy not to mess around with Roxanne," he said triumphantly.

Cho shook her head dolefully.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, Harry. But I've seen Roxanne and Malfoy walking hand in hand around the school!" she said, as if she knew this all the time.

"No…no she wouldn't!"

"Sorry," she mumbled, holding his hand. "Maybe she thought you would never get better?"

He stared at her doubtfully, but something told Harry that Cho wasn't lying. She wouldn't lie. He looked around in distress while thinking; _How could she_! He put his head in his hands, trying not to imagine Roxanne kissing Malfoy.

"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry," said Cho, sitting next to him and hugging him.

"I never should have met her," he muttered darkly.

Cho stroked his messy, unkempt hair. This was going _perfectly_. She lifted his head up and gazed into his eyes.

"Just forget about her, Harry. She's not worth it," she whispered ardently. "Is she?"

"N-no. Definitely not," he replied, feeling the same he had last time he was this close to Cho. As she leaned in closer something told him to back away. Don't get yourself involved with her again, the little voice said. He ignored the irritating voice and pulled Cho's head closer, knowing he was mainly doing this to get back at Roxanne.

The next time Roxanne and Harry saw each other was at dinner the next day. Hermione had brought her over to help her with the potions homework.

"Don't bring her over here! She's a Slytherin," said Harry, glaring at Hermione.

"What?" asked Hermione, her mouth falling open.

"I don't want that traitor sitting next to me," he hissed.

_He knows_! Roxanne thought. _Oh god…_

"What are you on about Harry?" asked Hermione, looking dumbstruck.

"_HER_!" he yelled, pointing at Roxanne, "walking hand in hand with Malfoy!"

"I WAS NOT!" retorted Roxanne. That was definitely _not_ true.

"Cho told me!"

"Cho? You believe Cho? You believe that…that _slut_?"

"Don't you dare call her a slut! She's way more faithful that you. You're the slut!" he growled.

"Harry, don't you get it? Cho was just saying that so you would dump Roxanne!" cried Hermione desperately.

"Doesn't matter anyway," said Roxanne, folding her arms, "you obviously don't trust me. So what good is that in a relationship? Consider yourself dumped so you can go out with Little Miss Lying Slut."

Harry goggled at Roxanne. She wasn't actually leaving him? He didn't mean that to happen! Roxanne walked out of the Hall and headed for the Slytherin Tower.

"ROXANNE WAIT!" yelled Harry, trying to catch up with her.

She stuck up her hand and made a rude gesture before disappearing behind a hidden tapestry.

He cried out in frustration and ran to his dorm.

"Harry? You ok mate?" asked Dean Thomas.

Harry ignored him and jumped into his bed. He put his head in the pillow and screamed. The pillow muffled the sound thankfully but it didn't make Harry feel any better.

That night he had the worst nightmares ever. He dreamt Lord Voldemort was torturing Roxanne. Cho was by his side, holding his hand and a snake was circling the scene, with Snape's head instead of a serpent head. Then the scene changed. A tall, robed man was standing in the middle of a circle of other masked men. Deatheaters. Harry noticed there were a lot of them missing. About nine maybe. He recognised Wormtail with his silver hand, looking up at his master with admiration. Lord Voldemort walked up to a couple. A man and woman, Harry figured, as the woman had long black hair.

"My most loyal advocates," whispered Lord Voldemort, he turned around and faced the other Deatheaters, "these," he waved his hand at the couple, "these two, my closest friends…have been locked away in Azkaban for twelve years. You thought Azkaban was now so heavily guarded it would be impossible to escape from, I knew better. I'm sure you are all very curious as to what happened to them?"

The Deatheaters nodded enthusiastically.

"After Harry Potter's death they themselves had a child, a girl," continued Vodlemort, "unfortunately they could only look after her for four years. The child's godparents took her in and looked after her. She is now sixteen and has grown into a fine young woman. But she has been corrupted by her godparent's kindness. And, the last thing I expected to happen, she fell in love with _Harry Potter_," he said Harry's name with utmost loathing in his voice. Harry suddenly realised who he was talking about. It was Roxanne!

A Deatheater stepped forward.

"But what about the prophecy? It clearly says that she will fall in love with–"

"I know that, Goyle. And she will, she is. Soon they will be ready and we will begin the Nupt –"

"But won't Potter try to stop it?" interrupted Goyle boldly.

"_Don't _interrupt me," he snarled. But obviously, he was in a very good mood as he did not punish Goyle. "He may. But sadly," he said, with sarcasm in his coarse voice, "he will not live to his seventeenth birthday. I will make sure of that."

"But master! He has managed to live every time he has encountered you. Maybe he will live again and –"

"Shut up you fool! How dare you doubt me! _CRUCIO_!"

Goyle collapsed onto his knees crying in torment and Harry felt a sharp, familiar pain in his forehead.


	15. Dark Marks and DA Meetings

Chapter 15 Dark Marks and DA Meetings 

The next few weeks went by painfully. Ron believed Cho, as Harry still did, but sometimes he had his doubts. Hermione and Ginny didn't believe Cho and everybody else didn't believe anything, but they enjoyed what was going on. Though Roxanne was no longer with Harry, she didn't go out with Malfoy. That would be stooping too low. Especially since if Harry apologised to her she would take him back. Without hesitation.

It was Valentines Day and Roxanne had thoroughly decided she was going with no one. She was going to wander around Hogsmeade feeling sorry for herself, watching couples like Ginny and Mark or Hermione and Neville have a good time. Apparenlty Ginny had been going out with Dean but had dumped him over owl mail. It seemed pretty harsh but Dean didn't seem too bothered. Hermione had more of a friendly relationship with Neville, and enjoyed each other's company as that way, nothing more.

Roxanne put on some very warm clothes and went with Ron and Berenice to Hogsmeade. When they reached Madam Puddifoot's quaint, over decorated café Roxanne said goodbye. They asked her to join them, (though they had 'please-say-no' looks on their faces) but she told them to have a good time. She was just about to walk away when something gold caught her eye. It was the emerald studded watch Roxanne had got Harry for Christmas. And there it was on Harry's arm, which was on the table about an inch from Cho's hand. Cho was smiling and obviously flirting like mad. Flicking her hair back all the time and her eyes never leaving Harry's face. Harry looked like he was enjoying himself too, nervous maybe, but happy.

There was a big bang. One of the cherubs had set off a mini firework near the window. Harry looked up to see it and saw Roxanne standing in the snow.

She turned around and ran, slipping and sliding over the ice and sleet. She reached a filthy alleyway and leaned against the wall. It really was all over now. Refusing to cry, she twiddled with the ring Harry had gotten her for Christmas. It was encrusted with a large topaz, which was almost the same colour as Roxanne's eyes and her birthstone. She played in her mind whether to throw it away in protest or to keep it. Before she had made her mind up she heard some footsteps.

"What you doing here?" asked Malfoy, standing in front of her.

"Nothin'," she muttered, looking away.

"Let me guess. You saw Harry and Cho together in that sad café?"

"How did you know?"

"I saw them. Talk about loyalty!" he said, laughing derisively.

She didn't comment. "So why are you on your own? Where's Pansy?"

"Pansy? I dumped her ages ago," he said, as if it was nothing at all. "So…you're single now, aren't you?" he asked, stepping closer.

"Yes…"

He leaned against the wall, trapping Roxanne. She didn't bother trying to walk away. She wouldn't let him do anything. He put his face closer to Roxanne's but she put her hand on his arm in objection. She consequently felt a burning sensation in her palm.

"OW! What in the hell was that?" she exclaimed, lifting her hand off. "It felt like an electric shock!"

"Static electricity probably," Malfoy said quickly, returning to his normal stance.

She pulled up his sleeve, suspecting something.

"No don't," he said, pulling her hand away.

But it was too late. She had seen it. Just an outline, but still clearly visible. The Dark Mark. He pulled the sleeve down hurriedly and his pale face reddened.

"What the -?"

"I had to have it done," he muttered, squeezing the Dark Mark.

"Why?"

"I'd rather not talk about it, ok?" he snapped.

"Then I'll just keep asking."

"Because my dad is in Azkaban, I need to pass news onto him…when I visit him."

"_What_? Y-you tell your father what You-Know-Who has said to you?" she repeated, thunderstruck. "I can't believe I'm standing here with you!" she gasped, ready to walk away. Malfoy grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back.

"You can't tell anyone!" he growled, his eyes flashing.

"B-but…y-your helping You-Know-Who kill Harry!"

"I swear, if you tell anyone…" he warned, squeezing her shoulders tighter. "You don't know what the Dark Lord would do to me if I said no!"

"But it would be like you're a mur-murderer! Why don't you just make it up?"

"I'd be killed!"

"There are worse things than death! If we kept you away from the Deatheaters –and you'd be saving so many lives!"

"Nothing is worse than death, Roxanne. Nothing," he said, the fierceness still in his eyes. "Anyway, he'd find me."

"No he wouldn't!"

"Do you think I'm the only…the only –"

"Spy?" finished Roxanne. "No, but I bet you're the main one. Don't look at me like that! Your father is way worse than Crabbe's or Goyle's!"

"Just don't. Please?" he begged, loosening his grip.

"Fine, I won't," she said, defeated.

"Thanks," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "I'll see you later."

And he walked away as if the whole ordeal had never happened.

Harry had a rotten time with Cho. Even before he had seen Roxanne. Whenever he was with her it was just awkward. His happiness was forced and she was just trying too hard. Ok so it was fun when they kissed because they didn't have to talk. But they had nothing in common apart from Quidditch, and, as unbelievable as that was; even Quidditch can get boring if you talk about it too much.

"So when is the next DA meeting?" she asked, attempting to rub her foot up his leg.

He moved his leg out of the way.

"Next week. Friday hopefully."

"Cool," she said, fluttering her eyelashes. She leaned in and puckered up her pink lips.

"Cho, I can't do this," said Harry, standing up.

"What? Why?"

"I – I just can't. See you around," he muttered, walking out.

"Wait Harry!" she called, running out after him. He kept on walking.

"Is it Roxanne? Is that it?"

"Yes and no," he muttered.

"I don't know why you bother! She treats you like crap, Harry! You deserve someone better, after all you've been through!"

"Its not that easy!" he snapped, facing her. "Just say you were still with Cedric. If he didn't want to be with you would you go off and date someone else?"

"No…" she mumbled, blushing.

"Exactly. If you love someone you can't just walk away."

The following Friday Harry was standing inside the Room of Requirement waiting for everybody to come in. As he had surmised, neither Roxanne nor Cho was here.

"Right…everyone here? Good…right," he said vaguely. "Well…guess we'll begin then. We're going to do some more…'er…skilled spells. So…yeah, get a partner."

He taught them the _diffindo _curse, which slices or cuts objects. They used pillows for that but the occasional one went on the wall. Then the_ reducto _curse. Which makes its target explode. Unfortunately, there were a lot of casualties after that so the class had to end.

"That went ok!" said Hermione after everyone had left. She was helping Harry tidy up the feathers from the pillows.

"Harry you seem…a little distracted. Mind if I ask why?"

"Its just Roxanne and Cho," he muttered, kicking a pillow into a box.

"Oh…I see. It must be so confusing," she said, re-stuffing three pillows with a flick of her wand.

"Not half."

"But you're going to have to work it out eventually. You can't go on like this," she said seriously.

"What do you mean?"

"Well its obvious isn't it?" she said.

Harry shook his head. What Hermione found obvious he usually found vague.

"Roxanne loves you Harry, a lot. But she also likes Malfoy, but that's a different like. Its more…how do I put it…'em…"

"Just say it already!"

"Well…passionately," she said plainly.

"WHAT?"

"Its not brain surgery. She loves you in a married couple way but you don't give her the passionate part of a relationship. Just the cuddly part. You know?"

"No," said Harry blankly. How did Hermione know all this?

"Well anyway," she said, rolling her eyes. "She doesn't love Malfoy, she just likes him because he's romantic and…well lets face it…kisses and hugs her more!"

"HE'S KISSED HER?"

"'Um…well I'm just assuming he has," said Hermione, biting her nails. "He's like the tall dark and…maybe in her eyes…handsome man."

"How – what – how do you know he's romantic?" he snapped.

"He just strikes me as that kind of person. And Pansy told me. Or rather, boasted to me."

"She's kissed him…I don't believe her."

"You kissed Cho," Hermione pointed out. "And I don't know she did for a fact!"

"Yeah but…that was to get back at Roxanne…UGH! Malfoy? Of all the people to – ugh!" he said, throwing a pillow hard against the wall. It exploded and the feathers fell over Harry and Hermione.


	16. Article in the Daily Prophet

**Chapter 16 **

**Article in the Daily Prophet**

Roxanne felt she may explode herself with all the mixed feelings running about in her head. Somehow the news about the confusing happenings going on between herself, Harry, Cho and Malfoy. And even worse, some busybody girls from Ravenclaw were starting a school newspaper. A few Gryffindors were helping, one or two Hufflepuffs and even some Slytherins. It was called Hogwarts Hearsay. And have a guess what was on the first page below the victory of Hufflepuff over Ravenclaw? It was all about what people had heard and seen from Roxanne, Harry, Cho and Malfoy. The girls responsible for the paper got severely told off, as they weren't supposed to publish anything without the teachers checking it first and getting permission from the people they had mentioned.

Harry and Cho had received immature nicknames. Cho was the Potternapper and Harry was called The Innocent, Malfoy didn't have a nickname, people were obviously too scared of him to give him one. It was clearly the same for Roxanne. Though she often heard her being called a two-timer or a slag.

People had been looking up her family history in the library and were visibly worried. Roxanne wondered why they were doing this now and not earlier. She soon found out. She found a discarded Daily Prophet in the library and the front page caught her eye. Underneath a large heading was a picture of her parents. They grinned maliciously up at Roxanne and blew her kisses. The picture was taken about twelve years ago when they had been caught. Roxanne read,

MORE MURDERERS LOOSE 

_Since the escape of ten Deatheaters last year, Azkaban has upgraded its security by hiring a small army of trolls to guard every cell. But this didn't prevent the escape of two murderers and Deatheaters, Adrian and Marilee Winters. Being You-Know-Who's greatest supporters and most probably closest companions, though they were in a higher security cells. The Minister for Magic refused to accept the possibility that the daunting guards of Azkaban, Dementors, have signed up with You-Know-Who as they had done sixteen years ago. _

_The Winters only daughter is currently attending Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry and is said to be a 'perfectly good girl' by all the teachers. We interviewed a few students at Hogwarts who had something else to say. "She's terribly scary looking and carries her wand up her sleeve!" stated Pansy Parkinson, from Slytherin. _

_As you may have guessed, Roxanne Winters is in the Slytherin House as was her family before her. She has also befriended the famous Harry Potter. "They were going out for a long while but I think they recently broke up," said Lavender Brown in Gryffindor. Some people did have positive things to say about Roxanne. "She's really nice. People just tend to assume that she's horrible because of her family," said Kacia Smith, a close friend of Roxanne's also in Slytherin._

_If anybody has any clues about the Winters whereabouts please contact us… _

Roxanne couldn't read anymore. She flung the paper in the fire and ran upstairs, kicking a couple of things on the way there.

Harry had been meaning to talk to Roxanne but she was evidently avoiding him. He also noticed she wasn't hanging around with Malfoy anymore. She seemed even paler than usual and skinnier. She was rarely seen eating and wore even more gothic clothes. People skirted around her in the hallways, as she looked so threatening with her untamed black hair and black lipstick. Ron suggested maybe it was the extra classes but Hermione said she doubted that.

The only time they saw her happy was in Care of Magical Creatures. They were now studying Aqua Dragons. They looked like a mix of overgrown seahorses and lizards. Instead of spitting fire, boiling water spurted out of their mouths at one hundreds miles per hour. According to Hagrid, they had been living in the Lake for ages without anyone knowing. They hadn't grown as big as the ones living in the Bermuda Triangle could because the Giant Squid was taking up so much room already. They were a bit bigger than a large horse but were still quite intimidating.

"Hi Roxanne," said Harry, cornering her after one Care of Magical Creatures class.

"Oh hi…I've got to get to my next class," she said quickly, turning around. Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Its lunch next," he said pointedly. "If it makes you feel better, I had the worst time with Cho."

"No it doesn't."

"Ooooh look! It's the Slag and Potter talking! Take a picture Pansy!" a Slytherin girl squealed. Pansy grinned and took out her camera. There was a flash of green light, but it didn't come from the camera. Roxanne put her wand back up her sleeve as Pansy gaped at the tangled mess of plastic at her feet.

"I heard your parents have escaped from Azkaban. You must be thrilled!" sneered Pansy.

"Shut up Parkinson," retorted Harry.

"They'll come and get you Potter! Just you wait!" she said, laughing. But few of her friends didn't laugh with her; they thought she had gone way too far.

Roxanne burst into tears and ran as fast as she could. When she reached the Slytherin common room she sat down and tried to ignore the fact that her life sucked.

"Hey Roxanne," someone said behind her.

"Get lost!" she said loudly.

"Just read the Daily Prophet," said Malfoy, sitting next to her.

"You and the rest of the world," she muttered darkly, wiping away her tears brusquely.

"Yup, what did Potter say?"

"Nothing yet."

"I'm not saying this because I want you for myself. Even though I do," he added thoughtfully, "but for his safety, you shouldn't be with him."

"Why's that?" said Roxanne sarcastically.

"When I first started Hogwarts, my father told me to make friends with Potter so I could lead him into their hands. I bet that's what your parents will ask you to do," he said.

"I doubt it."

"See these?" said Malfoy, rolling up his sleeves and showing his wrists. Scratches upon scars covered his wrists and arms. "I hated my life. I hated it so much in fourth year I tried to end it. But my father cast an anti-self harm charm on me."

Roxanne was speechless. She gazed at the many scars and nearly fully healed scratches.

"So I just carried on with my life. Ignored others people's feelings and what they thought of me. And tried to enjoy it – I still hate it but at least its better." he said, pulling down his sleeves. "So should you."

She stared at him blankly.

"Accept who you are. Accept you're a Winters and you're destined to be like your parents. I have," he said simply.

"No, _you_ don't understand. I can't stand by and watch them kill Harry!"

"You'll have to learn to."

Roxanne laughed in disbelief.

"Would you watch me die if you knew you could help me?"

"That's different–"

"No it's not!" she insisted.

"And that's not going to happen. They wouldn't kill you!"

"Who do you mean by _they_? The Deatheaters? Voldemort?" she asked, ignoring Malfoy flinch. "Who said I meant _them_? It could be anyone! An Auror!"

"But that won't happen!"

"But what if it did? Would you save me?"

"Yes…"

"I've proved my point," she said perceptively.

Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"So you're saying you care for Potter more than me?"

"No…that's not what I'm saying. Its just…Harry is meant to help people and save lives. Your – well you're not." It wasn't one of those questions you could answer in a few seconds. She did feel they both needed her, they both needed saving, they both needed helping. But she couldn't help both at the same time. This – she felt –was her purpose in life.

"You haven't answered my question."

"Because I don't want to," she said sulkily.

"Fine," said Malfoy, "I'll see you later." Before leaving he kissed a glum Roxanne on the cheek gently.

The next evening Harry sat opposite her in the library. She made no sign that she had seen him. He leaned his head on one side and gazed at her avidly, trying to keep his face straight. Roxanne raised an eyebrow.

"You look cute when you're trying to be serious," said Harry.

Roxanne laughed, for the first time in a long while.

"Well you look cute all the time," she said, her eyes still on her Potions book.

"Dumbledore said you're allowed in the Gryffindor common room as long as you don't hear the password."

"I don't think people will want me in there," she whispered derisively.

"Well there's a disco for the fourth years and under going on. So they'll be gone. And if anyone says anything I'll blow their heads off," he said, grinning cheekily.

"Ok…that'll be cool. Not the blowing up bit…" she said, grinning back.

"Come on then," he said, grabbing her wrist.

"Now? But I –"

"But nothing. Come on," he said again, swinging her bag on his shoulders and leading her to the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Passwor – hold on. She's not allowed in here," said the Fat Lady strictly.

"Here," said Harry, holding a note in front of her face.

"I, Professor Dumbledore, give permission for Roxanne Winters to enter the Gryffindor common room until eleven o'clock as long as she does not hear the password," read the Fat Lady, "fine, fine. Block your ears missy."

"_Nec fide nec metuas ignis_," said Harry. The portrait swung open and he dragged Roxanne inside. Secretly she liked the Slytherin common room better. That decorator had obviously put more effort into it.

"We always sit near the fireplace," said Harry, taking his usual seat. "Bring up that chair and that can be your place from now on!"

Trying to ignore the piercing and prying eyes of the fifth, sixth and seventh years, she pulled over a purple chair and slouched down opposite Harry.

"The rest will be here soon," he said. Just as he finished the sentence, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Mark came through the portrait.

"Hey Roxanne!" squealed Ginny, taking her usual seat.

"So Dumbledore agreed did he?"

"Well duh Ron!" said Hermione.

Ron grumbled something inaudible.

"I don't mean to be rude but…what's going on with you two?" Mark blurted out.

Harry frowned slightly and cast a confused glance at Roxanne, who said –

"Pass! Next question."

They all laughed but Harry didn't.

"I wanna know too," he said seriously.

"'Er…should we go?" suggested Ron.

"If you want me back Harry then…" said Roxanne in a whisper.

"Of course I do!" he said, pulling her off her chair so she landed on his lap. She snuggled up to him and soon realised everybody was staring at her.

"Anyway…" said Ron, raising his eyebrows.

"Its all my fault that article was in the Daily Prophet. Or rather, its my fault it was so bad," Hermione said suddenly.

"Why?"

"Because of…of Rita Skeeter."

"That's not your fault."

"But –"

"Its not, Hermione," said Roxanne firmly.

Hermione smiled gratefully.

"Do you know who I blame for all this?" said Roxanne. "The Sorting Hat."

They laughed, spurring him on.

"Yeah! Lets kill the Sorting Hat!" said Ron. He snatched Hermione's pointed hat off her head.

"Oh look at me, I'm the Sorting Hat! You should go there and you should go here even though you don't want to!" mocked Ron, putting on a squeaky voice and making the hat walk around.

"You shouldn't mock it, Ron. Its over two thousand years old, it knows more than you," said Hermione, pushing Ron away as he tried to stick it over her ears.

"Die you stupid hat!" he yelled, wrestling the lifeless hat to the ground and laughing evilly.

"You've lost it!" said Roxanne, giggling.

"Ron lost it in second year when the Whomping Willow hit him on the head," joked Harry.

"Shut up! So what if I'm a bit mad," he muttered, throwing the hat at Hermione.

They talked in the common room until the early hours of the morning. Roxanne felt happier than she had for months. She dreaded going back to her dorm.

"Is there a spare bed in the girl's dorms?" Harry asked Hermione.

"No, sorry."

Roxanne sighed deeply.

"See you tomorrow, Harry," she muttered, feeling her happiness deflate like a burst balloon.

Harry dragged her away from Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Mark.

"You could sleep with me," he whispered to her.

She chortled.

"Goodnight Harry."

"I'm serious!"

"Really? 'Em…I don't know Harry," she said uneasily.

"I guess I said that kinda wrong. I mean you could sleep in my bed. With a sleeping bag…"

"I dunno... It would be kinda weird."

"No it wouldn't! Its big enough!"

"But I don't have my stuff."

"Use a spell to get them!"

"Oh fine! You are so persistent!" she exclaimed. "_Accio Bilt_ pyjamas. _Accio Bilt_ sleeping bag."

"Huh? Ain't it just Accio?"

"Don't you know it? It's the same as Accio but it turns the things you want invisible."

"Cool…never heard of it!"

There was a scream from the portrait.

"Oh no!" gasped Roxanne. "The things would have hit her!"

She ran towards the Fat Lady to find she wasn't even there. She caught sight of her running through the other portraits yelling, "Peeves, you've gone too far now!"

Roxanne laughed loudly. She felt around for her things, they became visible once she touched them.

"Stay here," said Harry, turning to run to the boy's dorms. He pulled out his Invisibility Cloak. Downstairs he threw it over Roxanne.

"Wow, I've never seen one of these before!" she said, staring down at where her legs should have been.

"Was my dad's," he said, walking towards his dorm. Roxanne felt a sudden sinking feeling in her stomach.

Roxanne changed into her nightwear in the bathroom and then climbed in Harry's bed, feeling herself blush.

"Wow…" she breathed, looking out of Harry's window. She climbed in the sleeping bag and sat on the windowsill. "I sleep on the bottom bunk," she said to Harry, who was sitting next to her.

"You might get a top bunk next year."

"I hope so. Its so beautiful."

"Look at the time! Its nearly three o'clock!"

Roxanne yawned and shuffled back to the bed. Harry reached over to put out the candle beside them.

"What's that?" asked Roxanne, grabbing his wrist. In his hand was a scar and it said, 'I must not tell lies.'

"Professor Umbridge."

"Oh yeah, you told me about her. You can get this removed you know."

"I will," he said, putting out the candle.

With all the awkwardness gone, Roxanne curled up to Harry's chest and fell asleep with the rhythm of his heart beating in her ear.


	17. Playing Dirty

**Chapter 17 **

**Playing Dirty**

A whole happy month went by. People were still rude, but Roxanne had learnt to ignore them, having dealt with it most of her life. She had also stopped opening any post that came for her after receiving a number of curses. Roxanne spent most of her spare time in the Gryffindor common room with Harry and sometimes with other Gryffindors. Then the complaints started coming in. Many Gryffindor students were complaining about Slytherins invading their privacy and were saying, 'what's the point in houses if Slytherins can come into our common room?' While Slytherins were starting to pick on Harry and his mates even more, no doubt encouraged by Malfoy. If looks could kill, he would surely be a murderer.

Roxanne was starting to feel downhearted again, especially since another Gryffindor versus Slytherin match was coming up. She had used one of the Weasley twins' infamous sweets, resulting in a twenty-four hour flu. But Rathrold told her he wouldn't care less if she were dieing, she had to play.

The day of the match came very suddenly and five o'clock came even faster. Before she knew it she was mounting her Aurora Beam. Malfoy grinned to himself thinking, _she still has the broom_. _That must count for something_'

"I want a friendly game now!" yelled Madam Hooch. She blew the whistle and the fourteen players flew up, and immediately they were blown back a metre or two due to the horrendous gales.

"And the Slytherins' heavy players have a useful advantage," commentated Jedd, "the Gryffindor players are being blown about here a bit. WOW! Is that – it is! An _Aurora Beam_!"

All the Gryffindor team snapped their heads around to see who had the Aurora Beam. Harry gaped at the magnificent broom Roxanne was riding. The twigs that made up the tail were of the tree called Hazel Contortar so they were twirly and gave the broom a fashionable sort of look. Roxanne had rode her Nimbus on the other matches and only just decided to use the Aurora Beam.

"Aurora Beam's aren't even out in the shops yet! According to _Which Broomstick_ the Aurora Beam will be the last make for a long time – meaning it's the best in the world _and _will be for a long time until they think of different types!"

Roxanne couldn't help smile as she heard this; even Malfoy only had a Firebolt. Which puzzled her slightly.

"Its so elegant," continued Jedd. "It can stretch for a family and has a built in Invisibility charm for unseen journ –"

"Jedd, tell me again why I highered you after going through five years of your brother commentating?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"Because I'm so good at it?" suggested Jedd cheekily.

Despite the wind, Gryffindor were fifty pointy ahead of Slytherin. Rathrold was getting very angry and although he usually blamed Roxanne for this, he didn't this time. Maybe he thought she might not play if he did.

"For God's sake, Malfoy!" he yelled at Malfoy instead.

"_WHAT_?"

"You're not looking hard enough! Follow Potter!"

Malfoy scowled but didn't follow Harry. He didn't know where the Snitch was anymore than Draco. Roxanne could see the Snitch all right; it was floating by a Gryffindor goal hoop.

Ron flew up beside Harry while Madam Hooch sorted out Bulstrode's nosebleed.

"Where did she get that broom?" he asked, gaping at the broomstick.

"Your guess is as good as mine – and probably the same too," Harry said darkly.

"Malfoy?"

Harry snorted indignantly.

"Man, he must really like her…" muttered Ron. He grimaced as he realised what he just said. "Not that –"

"Doesn't matter," growled Harry, "Roxanne wont talk to him."

"Wanna bet, Potter?" called Malfoy, taking his place a metre away from him.

Harry told Malfoy to get lost, but in a much ruder way. The game started again, Bulstrode was fine – unfortunately. Slytherin started scoring after that.

Roxanne was getting annoyed.

"THE SNITCH IS NEAR THE GOAL!" she screamed at Harry and Malfoy. It had been there for twenty minutes. She felt like screaming, 'YOU IDIOTS!' too but resisted. Harry frowned slightly but Malfoy sped off straight away. Harry swore and zoomed after him. Though Malfoy had the same broom, he wasn't nearly as skilled as Harry and soon they were neck and neck.

"Careful, Potter. Flying at this speed – you might have a small _accident_," hissed Malfoy, ramming into him. Harry sped off course and Malfoy caught the Snitch straight away.

"FOUL!" screamed the Gryffindors.

"No – I'm afraid that's not a foul," said Madam Hooch. "It wasn't that rough."

"You are joking miss!" yelled Ginny, glowing red.

"No I am not _joking. _Read the rulebook if you must!" exclaimed Madam Hooch, she blew the whistle.

Back in the changing room the team and some other Slytherins had come in and were congratulating Malfoy and Roxanne for pointing out the Snitch.

"He's such an idiot! Did you see his face when Roxanne shouted it? He was like, huh? What?" mocked Malfoy.

"He is not an idiot!" retorted Roxanne. "You're an idiot for not seeing the Snitch! It was around the goals your team were shooting in!"

"He is a blockhead," Malfoy said slowly. "All his brain cells are leaking out of that stupid scar on his head."

"Shut up," snarled Roxanne.

"No," he said simply.

"FINE! Just because he's smarter than you," she counted them off on her fingers, "more skilled at Quidditch, cuter, sweeter and taller than you doesn't mean you should mock him all the time." Before walking out of the door she turned around. "Or is it because he's got me and you haven't?" she asked sarcastically before disappearing out of the green tent.

Malfoy grounded his teeth as he usually did when he was annoyed.

"For once I agree with Winters," said Pansy, flicking back her hair.

"Oh shut up you!" he snapped, throwing his Quidditch clothes off and chucking them down fiercely into the washing basket. He sat down on the bench, wearing only trousers and a vest and put his head into his hands, tugging at his hair.

"You need to get Roxanne out of your head, mate," said Rathrold, "its not healthy."

Malfoy clenched his hair tighter, tears springing to his eyes with the pain.

Three hours later Malfoy came into the Slytherin common room, with a sly smile on his face and a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Meanwhile Harry was sulking up in the Owlery. Hedwig was on his shoulder nibbling his hair sympathetically.

"Can you believe she had a Aurora Beam without telling me? I've never even hard of them!" he muttered, stroking Hedwig.

The door to the tower swung open and Cho came in. She stopped and stared at Harry.

"Are you ok?" she asked, stepping closer.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he mumbled. He stood up and brushed the dirt off his trousers. Hedwig pecked him tenderly on the ear and flew out of the large windows for her supper.

"I watched the match. That was awful what Malfoy did," she said, tying her letter to a school's barn owl.

"I know…"

"Roxanne's broom is amazing! I wonder where she got it. They're not even out in New Zealand yet, and they were made there!" exclaimed Cho, watching the barn owl soar off into the horizon.

"I was kinda wondering that myself. But then her paren – I mean her aunty and uncle are very rich."

"But wouldn't she have told you if they had bought her it?" asked Cho.

"Hmm…"

"And you know that dress she wore to the ball? I saw that in Mademoiselle Millian and it costs nearly as much as a Firebolt!"

Mademoiselle Millian was a very expensive clothes and beauty store in Ireland and Britain. Harry had once seen it in London, hidden to the muggles.

"And your point is?" snapped Harry.

Cho looked abashed. "It doesn't matter."

"You think Malfoy bought her those things don't you?"

She blushed a deep crimson. "Its kinda obvious –"

"No! No its not! She would tell me…oh what am I saying? She probably sits and talks with him every evening and he probably buys her stuff everyday," said Harry, downcast.

Cho kept silent.

"See you later," he muttered, walking quickly out of the owlery.

He headed for the Gryffindor tower. He heard someone giggling around a corner near the other Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. He peered round and saw Malfoy and – no…

Wearing the dress Malfoy had bought her was Roxanne. Flirting like there was no tomorrow with Malfoy. She turned around, saw Harry and ran off like a damnsel would do in an old movie. Malfoy acted as if nothing had happened and walked after her.

Harry seemed pretty stunned by this ordeal. He walked to the Fat Lady's portrait only to see Roxanne waiting in front of it, wearing the school uniform.

"Hi Harry! I've been waiting here for ages –"

"But I've just seen you with Malfoy," interrupted Harry. "Wearing that dress…"

"'Em…no. I've been here for almost an hour!"

"B-but I saw you!"

"Listen Harry, I'm sorry I never told you about the Aurora Beam and I'm sorry Gryffindor got beaten but that doesn't mean you can make stuff up about me!"

"I wasn't! I'm not…"

"I think Malfoy's messing with you, Harry. It was probably just someone using a Polyjuice potion or a Hologram charm," said Roxanne, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Malfoy bought you the broom and dress?"

She nodded her head slowly. "But that's nothing compared to what you got me!"

"Oh come on. A necklace and a painting set. Big deal," he muttered scathingly.

"Harry, I haven't taken that necklace off since young gave it to me and I've used the painting set so many times the colours are wearing away!"

Harry didn't believe her. He didn't know how girls thought that well but he definitely knew she would prefer a dress to a necklace. The necklace was silver and had a small key on it. In little writing on the back it said, 'Always Together' and if you said that to it you could talk to the person wearing the other one. Harry had the other one, it was a lock in which the key fitted into. On it said, 'Never Apart' and could do the same thing as Roxanne's key. Harry had never taken his off either.

"I'm gonna get Malfoy for that trick," said Harry defiantly.

"Don't bother, you'll just get in trouble. He's just sad anyway."

"I didn't think he'd stoop so low."

Roxanne raised an eyebrow at Harry.

"Ok I did," he admitted, grinning.

"I'm off to bed now. Goodnight," said Roxanne. They kissed and Harry disappeared behind the Fat Lady's portrait (whom had been listening feverishly all along) and Roxanne started off in the opposite direction.

Roxanne wasn't very surprised to see Malfoy waiting for her in the common room.

"You just love embarrassing me, don't you?" he said, arms folded.

She slapped him. Hard.

"That was a dirty trick you played on Harry! Your just pathetic," she muttered, storming off.

He ran after her and turned her around forcefully.

"What in the _hell_ are you on about?" he demanded, his right cheek glowing red.

"You using a flipping Hologram charm to make it look like I was flirting with you!"

Malfoy stared at her blankly. "Excuse me?"

"Or a Polyjuice potion. What idiot did you get to use it?"

"I'm been in the Quidditch changing room –"

"Oh whatever! Get a life, you sad act," she said. She left Malfoy standing in the common room looking thoroughly defeated.


	18. Sphinxes

**Chapter 18 **

**Sphinxes**

"No, no, no! Miss Bulstrode it's not _that_ hard!" exclaimed Professor Scota.

They were in Defence Against the Dark Arts in late May. Professor Dumbledore had insisted the students were taught how to _use _the Unforgivable Curses. As you can imagine, most of the teachers and parents were against this. But Professor Scota thought it was an excellent idea. But when she realised it would be the Slytherins learning it as well she couldn't help but feel a bit dubious. They were first doing the Imperius curse. Most of the Slytherins had mastered that straight away, Malfoy the fastest. He tried not to look too proud about it.

"Typical," Roxanne muttered under her breath.

At the next DA meeting, Cho _and _Roxanne turned up. Roxanne was helping Harry teach it while Cho stayed right at the back.

"Right," said Harry, clapping his hands together. "We're going to do the…" he rubbed his neck uncomfortably, "the Perhexplex curse…I chose that one 'coz…it was used on me not too long ago."

Roxanne decided to take over from there.

"The Perhexplex used to be one of the three Unforgivable curses, but it got removed as over a certain number of years it can be cured. What it does is damages the victims mind –" she waited to see if anybody would make a joke of that. "And if a skilled witch or wizard used this curse the consequences can be serious but aided. Luckily it was only Pansy who used it on Harry and as we _all _know Pansy couldn't duel if her life depended on it." They all laughed.

"So…obviously we can't use it on each other. But Hermione, being the brainiac, has made these." Roxanne opened the door and five people walked in wearing Slytherin uniforms. None of them had faces. They all looked the same (white clothes, round faces, average height) apart from two were girls and three were boys and they all had radical hair colours like pink and green. "These are used for testing new spells. They don't think or feel, but they can show us if the spell has worked or not!"

"So Harry is going to demonstrate first and then you can each take turns." Roxanne had disagreed with the uniform, but it obviously did make people try harder.

Harry chose the girl with the orange hair.

"PERHEXPLEX!" he roared. The clone jerked as an orange beam of light hit her full on in the chest.

"Ok…" Roxanne walked up to the clone. "T46, can you hear me?"

She garbled a couple of words.

"What's your code number?" Roxanne asked it.

"Seventy bazillion," she mumbled, stumbling about the place stupidly.

"That was pretty powerful, Harry!" exclaimed Hermione. She then did something quite gross but it had to be done. She opened up the clone's head and took out its brain. It was smoking slightly as she put it in a bin. She then put a fresh brain in the clone's empty head and closed it up again.

"What's your code name?" Roxanne asked the girl clone.

"T47, at your command miss," she said in a dull tone.

Ron went next; he used the boy with the yellow hair.

"Reminds me a bit of Malfoy," he explained. "PERHEXPLEX!"

The clone didn't jerk as much as Harry's. Roxanne asked it to walk across the room. It sat on the floor, cross-legged and recited the alphabet backwards.

Next day they went down to Hagrid's for Care of Magical Creatures. Sadly, they had finished with dragons and were on Sphinxes. There were two, both from Cairo. One was called Namir, the other Karyan. Their large amber eyes stared at the students, causing them to step back warily. Hagrid said how they loved having riddle competitions and asked if anyone would like to participate in one. The Sphinxes looked positively ecstatic about this.

"Just a shortun'," said Hagrid. "'Ow about Roxanne 'n' 'Arry?"

Roxanne looked as happy as the Sphinxes. Harry had encountered a Sphinx before and was feeling quite confident. Roxanne stood in front of Karyan while Harry stood face to face with Namir.

"Hello," said Roxanne, finding herself blush under the cat woman's penetrating stare.

"Greetings." Karyan stretched her paws and uttered the riddle.

"_I am found in darkness but not in light, _

_I am here in daytime but absent in night, _

_I am in death but not in life,_

I am with husband but not with wife, what am I?"

"Dark…light…death – _what_?"

"Think about it," said the Sphinx. She was quite young as she was only two feet higher than Roxanne while Namir was towering over Harry.

"Death, dark, day – d…husb_and_. The letter d!"

Karyan smiled. "That is the correct answer. Your turn."

Roxanne thought for a while but soon enough a riddle came to mind, one her uncle had told her.

"_Long legs, bandy thighs,_

_A little head, and no eyes."_

The Sphinx chortled. "Easy! A pair of tongs!"

Meanwhile, Harry was having trouble. "Can you repeat it again?"

"_Only one colour, but not one size,_

_Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies,_

_Present in sun, but not in rain,_

_Doing no harm, and feeling no pain."_

Harry refused to give up. After a few minutes it came to him.

"Its not a shadow, is it?"

"Excellent, Master Potter," said Namir, "and now your turn."

Harry cleared his throat.

"_Round like an apple, deep like a cup,_

_Yet all the king's horses can't pull it up."_

"Hmm…would it be a well?" suggested Namir, a smirk playing on her brown lips.

"How can you win a riddle competition against a Sphinx?" moaned Harry as he walked back to the group of students with Roxanne.

"With thousands of years of practise."

"Or just have a brain," said Malfoy. "You never know, it might help you one day, Potter. Instead of relying on luck and chance."

"Ignore him," hissed Roxanne, dragging a growling Harry away from the laughing Slytherins.

A few nights later, Roxanne had snuck into the Gryffindor tower with Harry's Invisibility cloak. Her friends were by the window, helping Mark and Ginny with Astronomy homework.

"Hey look, aren't they the Sphinxes?" said Ron, pointing to two huge figures walking into the Forbidden Forest.

"Yeah, so?"

"Hagrid said they were staying in the stables."

"So they wanted a walk," muttered Harry, fiddling with his telescope. "Why can't I see out of this damn thing?"

"'Er…Harry, dear, its still got the cap on," said Roxanne, taking off the black lid.

"That is kind of odd," said Hermione thoughtfully. "Grawp's not still in there, is he?"

"Yep, Hagrid said he's not 'polite' enough to come out," said Ron sarcastically.

"I think we should tell Hag – are they dragons?" exclaimed Hermione, pointing at the lake.

"Its Orinda, Kaida and Varden!" stated Roxanne as she stared at the three young dragons making their way to the Forbidden Forest. "But they guard the gates!"

"I think we should warn Hagrid," said Ginny.

"We're not allowed out!"

"Your Invisibility cloak and my broom," said Roxanne. "But…I don't know how to work it."

"I do!" said Neville.

They stared at him inquisitively.

"My uncle works in New Zealand, he sent me the fact book," he said, grinning.

The broom fitted four people on while the cloak hid three. When they reached Hagrid's cabin, the lights were on and Fang was barking like mad. They knocked and Fang's booming barks turned to pleading yelps.

"No one's in," hissed Ginny.

"But the door is open," Mark pointed out.


	19. The Argument

**Chapter 19 **

**The Argument**

Harry pushed the door and was immediately knocked over by Fang. Fang bounded off into the darkness.

"Now I'm worried," said Roxanne, gazing into Hagrid's empty cabin.

"No sign of a struggle," said Hermione observably.

"And who in their right mind would try to steal Hagrid?" derided Ron. Roxanne couldn't help giggle as she thought of a Flitwick sized person carrying a bag with a roaring Hagrid inside it on his back.

"Hey! Isn't that Snape?" said Marl, pointing toa dark figure striding towards the forest. They all stared at Professor Snape who neither acknoweldged that they were there or even seemed to know where he was going. They couldn't make out his expression but his movement was jerky, as if unwilling to venture into the dark forest.

"Yeah b – is that –?"

"What, Harry?"

"Fawks," he said bluntly, pointing at the sky. There was a flash of red wings and they spotted the gorgeous bird dive-bomb into the forest. This was indeed odd, as they all knew the bird's reluctance to leave Dumbledore's office.

"All Hagrid's animals have gone!" cried Hermione, pointing to the fences which had all been knocked down as if flattened by a ramage.

"Oh man…weren't fifth years doing Hippogriffs?" said Ron, the colour draining from his face.

"Yeah we were. And…oh…"

"What?" snapped Ron.

"Seventh years who were doing Study of Magical Creatures honours are studying Manticores. Hagrid kept them in that barn over there," said Mark flatly.

"You mean the one with no wall?" said Ron, wide-eyed.

"Yep, that's the one."

"We'd bettertell Dumbledore," said Roxanne, absentmindedly chewing her fingernail.

"He's not here remember? At breakfast he saidhe and McGonagall were going to the Ministry of Magic," said Harry. "So that means –"

"-We tell another teacher," interrupted Hermione.

"But some of us should go in there and –"

"Are you mad, Harry?" exclaimed Ginny.

"Apparently," he said, shrugging.

"So all the animals and scary creatures have gone into the Forbidden Forest, big deal!" said Ron, slightly hysterically. "Lets go in there - and have a party!"

"But what if Voldemort's behind this," said Harry seriously.

Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes dramatically. "Yeah, he's looking for a pet and can't be bothered to go to the shops."

"He might be making an army or something," said Harry, frowning at her.

"This is so typical," she said, looking away from Harry.

"Why?"

"You would love it if…no, it doesn't matter. I'm going to tell a teacher then go to bed."

"What do you mean?" asked Harry, rounding in her angrily.

"It doesn't matter!" she said sternly.

"Yes it does! Tell me!" said Harry.

"I just think you would love it if this was Voldemort's doing so then you…never mind," she muttered, turning around.

"What if it is? Lots of people could get hurt, Hermione!" he yelled.

"Well I hope it is Voldemort, because then _you _could be the hero again, couldn't you?" she shouted at him.

"What?"

"That's right! You're such an attention seeker, Harry! Malfoy's right, it's all gone to your head!"

"Hermione!" gasped Ron.

"That's what you think, is it? That I _like _being the source of all the gossip and stared at all the time? And I thought you were my friend," he said angrily.

"Yes I think you like it," she stated.

He let out a laugh of disbelief. "You think that I like knowing that I have a fifty percent chance of being killed by a man who killed my parents?"

"Here we go again, it's all about you! 'My parents' and 'I have a fifty percent chance'. Every time we have an argument you always bring this up!"

"What's wrong with you, Hermione?" asked Ginny, putting a hand on her shoulder which consequently got shrugged off..

"Him!" she yelled, pointingan accusingfinger at Harry. "Wasting six years of my life hangingaround with _him_!"

"You didn't have to," said Roxanne quietly.

"Shut up," snapped Hermione fiercely.

"You're just being out of order, Hermione! Harry has saved your life many times –" started Roxanne.

"If I had never made friends with him I wouldn't have gotten into that danger IN THE FIRST PLACE!" she screamed. She ran off back to the castle.

"Wow…" said Mark, watching her bushy hair disappear around the corner.


	20. Animal Attraction Charm

**Chapter 20 **

**Animal Attraction Charm**

"Stupid cow," muttered Harry, his eyes wet with angry tears, which he furiously wiped away. "Well I'm going to tell some teachers, then I'm going in there."

"Harry, I really don't – ok, you can if you want to," she said quickly, noticing the infuriated look on his face.

He started running towards the castle, followed by Neville, Ron and Ginny.

"You two stay there!" he yelled back to Roxanne and Mark.

"I haven't been here long but I definitely know that wasn't like Hermione," said Mark.

"Same," mumbled Roxanne. "She didn't really have to have a go at him like that."

"I think Harry's in a bit of a stress. He's been like that since I met him."

"Well can you blame him? What do you think you'd be like if you knew you might be killed and you see visions of your _parents _getting murdered!" exclaimed Roxanne.

"I know but he doesn't have to take it out on his friends…" said Mark, blushing slightly.

"He needs a break. I can't wait 'till this is all over!"

"Until what is?"

"This whole fiasco! Voldemort and deaths and fear! Its destroying Harry from the inside! Do you know what I mean? All the pain is eating away at his…at his…"  
"Sanity?" suggested Mark.

Roxanne glowered at him. "I was going to say his feelings." She sighed deeply. "But you're right. He just seems different. And I know this sounds stupid but it seemed like I've known him all my life and now –"

"How could you feel like you've know him all your life?"

Roxanne blushed slightly. "I bought every single article, book and magazine with him in. Not because I was obsessed with him but just because I looked up to him. I thought he was amazing, all the things he did. I even sent him an owl in fifth year about the article where he told the truth about Lord Voldemort." Mark flinched slightly. "But I used a different name."

"Have you ever told him this?" he asked.

"No…it is kinda embarrassing."

Mark laughed but quietened down quickly. "I never had the slightest idea we could be related."

"It's a shame you didn't come to Hogwarts a couple of years earlier. He really needed a family to live with since he was one year old. He has got a house to stay in but it reminds him of Sirius too much."

"Man…he's been through a lot, ain't he? Most people would have just – never mind…"

"What?"

"Well I don't know this for sure but after all he's been through most people would have just ended their lives sharpish. Not that he will!" he added quickly.

But Roxanne was worried. She suddenly remembered something. She grabbed her necklace and spoke the words "Always Together" to it.

"Harry! Are you there?" she said to it.

"Huh? Oh!" said his voice, which sounded distant.

"Where are you?"

"Nobody flipping believes us!"

"Go to Professor Scota!" said Roxanne.

"Oh yeah! Bye."

"Bye…" she muttered. She turned back to Mark. "He sounds pretty stressed."

Mark sat on Hagrid's step. "I've got a really bad feeling about this."

"Me too," she said, sitting next to him.

"Not that I don't think Harry can handle it. But I don't think we could. They've been through stuff like this before. We haven't," he said, picking at the grass.

"They need Hermione," mumbled Roxanne.

"Yeah but she'll never come."

"I could try and persuade her?"

"I doubt that would work. Wait 'till Harry comes back."

They sat in silence for another five minutes then they saw five dark silhouette come running towards them. It was Harry, Ginny, Neville, Ron and Professor Scota.

"I've sent an owl to Professor Dumbledore so hopefully he should be here soon. Until then we should stay right here –"

"No way!" Harry interrupted Professor Scota. "We have to check it out!"

"I am not letting you go in there, Harry, when there's manticores and god knows what else running about," said the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, folding her arms forebodingly.

"You can't stop me –"

"But we can," said Roxanne. "Now I'm going to talk to Hermione, if we have to do something we need her on our side."

"What? I don't want her with us!" exclaimed Harry.

"Stop being so stubborn! I'm going to talk to her and if I can get her to come down here you're going to apologise or else!" she said. "Ron can you come with me please? Professor please don't let him out of your site!"

"No problem Miss Winters. Harry, tell me everything you saw," she said warmly. She made to put a calming hand on his shoulder but decided against it.

Roxanne and Ron found Hermione in the library surrounded by books.

"Hey Hermione," said Ron, walking over slowly.

"I was waiting to see how long it would take you to come running to me," she muttered, staring at the book, which was called Powerful Modern Charms. It had the skull mark on the side which told them that it was from the Restricted Section.

"Hermione, we really need you," said Roxanne, sitting opposite her. A book lay opposite her open. The page heading was Controlling Animals.

"I'm aware of that," she muttered. "What else _would _you do without me?"

"Why are you reading these books?" asked Ron, looking at a green one called Controlling Charms & Domineering Spells.

"Well if you must know, I'm helping you by finding out what is happening. But that's all I'm doing," she said, turning the page. "And I'm not doing this for Potter either. Its for you lot, my _real _friends."

"Harry is your friend! This is just a little argument, you'll get other it!"

"Oh no I won't. I don't want to talk to that idiot ever again," she replied, slamming a book and picking up another, her eyes speeding across the writing.

Roxanne cast Ron a worried look. He grimaced.

"So what are you looking at here then?"

"Animal Attraction spells or charms," she said, as if it was obvious.

"Why?"

"Honestly, Ron. Because it seems all the animals have disappeared, including the owls and Crookshanks," she added, her voice wobbling dangerously.

"Ebony and Ivory!" gasped Roxanne, putting her hand over her mouth. She looked about as if to see them but of course couldn't.

"But that doesn't explain Hagrid and Snape," Ron pointed out.

"Well Hagrid is a giant, and they are not classed as humans. And Snape…well I don't understand that much."

"Maybe he went in there to check it out?" suggested Roxanne.

"I doubt it, he's not stupid."

"I beg to disagree," said Ron.

"Look Ron, just because you hate someone does not make them stupid or ugly or heartless, _right_?" she snapped, slamming the book shut.

"Ok…sorry."

"Because you do tend to do that a lot! Victor is not all as bad as you think he is! He's very nice and I am _not _going out with him, so don't get any ideas," she muttered, grabbing another book.

"I know, 'coz your going out with Neville."

"No I'm not."

"Why not?"

"He dumped me," she said abruptly, opening another book.

"_He_ dumped _you_? Why?" gasped Ron. Roxanne rolled her eyes. Voldemort could be in the Forbidden Forest and Ron was talking about dating.

"He…he said I was too bossy," Hermione said quietly, blushing. "Apparently I intimidated him."

Roxanne couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter.

"Sorry!" she said immediately.

"Its alright, I didn't like him in that way anyway. We're just friends."

Ron opened his mouth to question further but Roxanne interrupted.

"Shall we help you to look for this Animal Attraction thingamabob?"

"No…I think I've found it," she said, looking closer at the open page. "Animal Attraction Spell. It attracts animals of all kinds excluding humans to the place the charm is taking place. That's what's being used. It must be a very powerful one, usually people just use this to find their pets, and only a certain species."

"Ok, well we'll take the book down to Professor Scota then and see what she thinks," said Roxanne, putting a piece of paper in the page to mark it. It seemed odd that Voldemort would want to gather a bunch of creatures into the forest. She was starting to doubt he was behind this. How would he get into the school grounds?

Hermione picked it up and all three of them ran back to Hagrid's cabin.

"Here they are," said Mark, waving at them.

"We…found…something," gasped Hermione, giving Professor Scota the book. She had her back to Harry, whom was looking at anything else but Hermione.

She opened it to the marked page and read it quickly, her eyes constantly moving over the page just as Hermione's had. A look of dawning comprehension crossed her face.

"Ah yes, that would probably be it. In that case we are definitely not going in. Albus will be here any minute now."

"But Professor –" started Harry.

"No Harry! I would be a murderer if I let you go in there!" she snapped, her usual placid self disappearing.

"But I can take care of myself!" he replied angrily.

"I know you can. Listen Harry, I know you've dealt with a lot over the past five years but imagine all that bundled up in one day! You wouldn't be able to handle it. No one would," she said in a calming tone.

Harry didn't reply but stomped over to the cabin and sat on the footstep, glowering at the ground. Roxanne nudged Hermione.

"_Go_," she hissed.

Hermione grumbled something and walked over. She sat next to Harry and they were silent for a while. The awkward atmosphere could have been cut with a knife.

"You were right," said Harry, breaking the uncomfortable hush.

"About what?"

"If you weren't friends with me you wouldn't have to deal with all this."

"Maybe so, but if I weren't friends with you I would have no friends. And anyway, all this is character building!" she said, smiling.

Harry smiled back at her and Hermione hugged him tightly.

"I would follow you anywhere, Harry," she whispered, her eyes watering. Harry blinked back tears himself.

"A man can't handle this much emotions in one day," muttered Ron, wiping his eyes frantically.

Roxanne grinned and ran over to them and hugged them as well, soon followed by Ginny, Ron, Neville and Mark.

Professor Scota watched on at the seven best friends until a voice broke the silence.

"You called, Cordelia?" sa

"Yes, we have a situation," she said, turning around and facing Dumbledore.

"Indeed. A serious one."

"It seems to be an Animal Attraction Spell," she said, indicating to the book she was holding.

"I thought so," spoke the headmaster, looking at the book over his half-moon glasses.

"I can't think _he_ would be doing this, so many creatures cannot be that easily controlled. And there is no way he could have got into the forest."

"No there isn't –"

"What are we going to do, Professor?" asked Harry, joining them.

"You're not going to do anything. Miss Scota and I are going to contact the Ministry of Magic and they will send a group of Aurors –"

"But we have to help!" interrupted Harry.

"No you don't. Now please go back to your Dorms. I know you wish to aid us, Harry, but we cannot put your life in danger," said Dumbledore firmly.

Harry seemed to have given up trying to argue with the teachers.

"Fine," he mumbled. He grabbed Roxanne and the group walked back to the castle.

On the way back Harry turned his head and watched the two professors rush up to the teacher's lounge. When they were out of sight Harry stopped walking.

"What are you – oh no! No way, Harry!" exclaimed Roxanne, as she saw Harry stare fixedly at the forest, his mind working on over time.

"I have to. Hagrid is in there," he said, turning around and heading for the Forbidden Forest.

Hermione grabbed his arm and Ron grabbed the other.

"We're not going to let you!" said Hermione, pulling him towards the castle.

Harry seemed pretty strong and determined and it took Ginny _and_ Roxanne to push his chest to get him into the castle doors.

Inside he shrugged everyone off and he marched up to the Gryffindor Tower, breaking into a run the second he was round the corner.

"Keep an eye on him. He'll try and escape," said Roxanne. She headed towards the Slytherin common room. The last thing she was going to do was go to sleep, but she knew as well as everyone else how dangerous it would be to go into the Forest.

By the time Ron got into his dorm Harry was gone. His window was wide open and his Invisibility Cloak and his Firebolt were missing. Ron swore loudly and ran off to tell Hermione.

Roxanne entered the Slytherin Common room and almost cried out in anger as she saw the person waiting for her. Draco Malfoy.

"Oh what a surprise," she muttered, carrying on to the girls dorm.

"Have you noticed all the animals escaping? All the owls have gone," he said, standing up from his chair.

"Nope," she said, lying.

"Roxanne…don't go," he said in a whiny tone.

She almost laughed but stopped herself. "Why not?"

"Because I've just seen Harry's legs fly towards the Forbidden Forest on a broom," he said, pointing at the window. He had an evil edge to his voice.

"You're lying," said Roxanne, running back down the stairs to look out the window.

"I'm not," he sniffed, sitting back down calmly.

Roxanne cursed to herself and ran to find Ron and Hermione, her eyes wet with frustrated tears.

"Wait, Roxanne!" yelled Malfoy.

She ignored him and ran outside near the lake.

"Roxanne! He's gone! He's taken his broom and his Invisibility Cloak!" cried Hermione, sobbing onto Roxanne's shoulder.

"Well that solves it, I'm going in," said Roxanne. "Please don't come as well. I don't want to endanger all your lives."

"Don't be stupid. If you go we all go," said Ron, looking around, they all nodded, rather reluctantly. Roxanne cast him an exasperated look but they all seem so resolute.

"We're coming too!" called a few people from behind them. They looked around to see Luna, Ginny and Neville.

"I suppose more people in the DA would help…" said Hermione, angst on her face.

"Accio Aurora Beam!" cried Roxanne. Seconds later she caught her broom. People who had brooms called theirs. Luna and Neville didn't have one so Roxanne lengthened hers and they sat on it. Roxanne could have sworn Malfoy was behind her but he wasn't when she looked back.

It took them a while to get to the Forest after dodging the patrolling Aurors. It was also quite difficult to navigate through the overgrowth, especially for Roxanne who had two passengers.

"Should we leave them here or send them back to the castle?" asked Mark.

"We could follow the path back to them if we left them here, they might be handy if someone was…was chasing us or something," said Roxanne, dismounting her broom. So they left the brooms near the path, hidden by the bushes. Roxanne gave her beloved Aurora Beam one last look then carried on, wondering what Harry did with his broom.

It was now pitch black in the forest, but little glows came from their wands.

"Hey, there's someone behind us," hissed Hermione, pointing to a light floating quite a bit back from them.

"It's a wand light, what shall we do?" asked Ron.

"Wait for them to come to us, be ready," muttered Hermione.

The person must have spotted all the other lights because it stopped.

"Nox," the person whispered. The light went out and the group could hear footsteps running away from them.

"Well that was scary," whispered Ginny.

"See? That's what I mean! That could have been a Deatheater!" hissed Harry.

Everyone gasped and turned back to see Harry standing there, wand ablaze.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" hissed Roxanne, pushing his shoulder viciously. "Why do you always have this need to disobey everyone?"

Harry looked hurt and when he tried to put his hand on her arm she shrugged it off.

"It was most probably a student following us," interrupted Hermione, back on the subject of their stalker. "And I doubt a Deatheater could get into Hogwarts."

"Could have been Malfoy," suggested Roxanne.

"Well screw that freak, let's carry on," said Ron, picking a twig out of his hair.

And carry on they did.

The forest was totally silent. No owls hooting, no spiders scuttling or rats squeaking. It was worse than eerie noises. The shadows moved with every step making the forest look like it was alive and ready to pounce. It wasn't too long before they started seeing animals all heading for the same direction. Squirrels, spiders, badgers, bats, doxys, bowtruckels and other various forest-dwelling creatures. They must have been walking for over an hour and they were exhausted. Then they began to hear the chanting. At first it was just a dull murmur that could have been anything but a few minutes later they could tell it was a long spell repeated over and over again.

"Oh I don't think we should go any further!" cried Hermione, shaking from head to foot. And what made it even worse, they spotted that familiar light heading in the direction they were going, but this time it ran past.

"You don't have to, but I am," muttered Harry, quickening his pace.

"You know I wouldn't leave you, Harry," whispered Hermione, straining her voice so it sounded brave and unafraid, though her voice quavered.

Then came the clearing. Over fifty trees had been cut down so hundreds of creatures could stand there staring up at –

"_Wormtail_!" hissed Ron, as if they needed to be told. There was Peter Pettigrew, standing over an electric blue fire, chanting in a deep voice that didn't sound like his own squeaky one. His eyes were open but only the whites were visible. Behind him in the shadows was three more Deatheaters, in the same trance.


	21. Cornered and Captured

**Chapter 21 **

**Cornered and Captured**

Out of nowhere, people wearing black cloaks appeared behind Harry's group. They were surrounded and outnumbered, eight to twelve. Everybody got out their wands but before they could even utter a word –

"_EXPELLIARMUS!_" bellowed a bodiless voice. All of their wands flew out of their hands and zoomed towards a group of birch trees. Harry felt a shiver run down his spine. He recognised that voice and he suddenly regretted coming. Out of the dark shadows of the trees emerged a man who towered over everyone. His gaunt face was a deathly grey and his slit like eyes glowed red and seemed to glare at everyone at once. Sleek black hair went down his back and in one hand was eight wands, and in the other was his own. Wearing a plain black robe with acid green stitching, he strode over to the trapped group. Harry was the only one standing; the others had collapsed, maybe from exhaustion or from fear.

"And once again, we meet. Is this an occasion to be repeated over and over again until one of us finally kills each other?" breathed Voldemort, his voice sending shivers down their backs. But Harry had no fear.

"I know the prophecy as well, and I know it will be fulfilled. But it will be you who dies," said Harry, pointing at Voldemort viciously. Hated pulsed through his veins and gave him strength he had never felt before.

"So confident, Mr Potter. But I am not here just for you tonight," said Voldemort, a large grin appearing on his face, flashing pointed canines, almost vampiric.

At this point, Roxanne was doing whatever it took to get out of there. She had already kicked a Deatheater in the groin and poked one in the eye. But it was no use, it was her they wanted and they wouldn't let her go. She just couldn't understand how they had got into the forest.

"Roxanne Winters, how long I have wanted to meet you. Your prophecy will come true this night as well."

Harry looked wildly from Voldemort to Roxanne, who was struggling madly like a rabid dog trapped in a corner.

"This is un-unfair!" yelled Neville suddenly. He stood up, wavered, then went to Harry's side. "We deserve a fair fight, _with wands_."

Showing his elongated canines again, Voldemort held out his hand containing their wands. Neville, shaking from head to foot, made a grab for them, but Voldemort retracted his arm and Neville stumbled, ending up in a kneeling position in front of Voldemort.

"Just how his parents looked when I had finished with them," cackled a female voice whom was holding Roxanne's arms.

Harry turned around and found himself face to face with his godfather's murderer. Words could not express his rage, so he physically attacked her instead. Neville, taking the opportunity, grabbed the wands off a taken aback Voldemort and threw them forwards.

"CRUCIO!" roared Voldemort, pointing his wand at Neville's back.

"Neville!" cried Hermione. She pointed her wand at Voldemort. "_Scourgify_!"

With a wave of his wand, he blocked the simple spell. He acid gaze stared at Hermione, who staggered backwards.

"You're the powerful mudblood! You could be helpful," he hissed. There was a loud BANG and ropes came from his wand, wrapping around Hermione. "Crabbe! Take her to the Hollow!" he yelled to a Deatheater who was trying to pull Harry off Bellatrix. Taking her wand, Vincent Crabbe's father put a screaming Hermione over his shoulder and ran off into the dark forest.

Harry didn't even notice – he was punching Bellatrix so hard in the face his knuckles were bleeding. Strong arms grasped Harry around the waist and pulled him off. He kicked Bellatrix once more in the face and she fell to the floor unconscious. The man held him up tightly and Harry could see what was happening around him, or rather, what had happened. Neville was curled up on the leafy ground, not moving an inch; Roxanne had a large cut across her cheek and was being held up by another Deatheater. Ginny was holding a limp Mark, who had been knocked out with an Impedimenta spell. Luna was stopping Ron's legs from going crazy and Hermione wasn't even in the area.

"See? You can't win," said Voldemort. "_Enervate_."

Bellatrix sat up, her face a bloody mess. She saw Harry and growled at him.

"Don't bother Bellatrix, he will have his comeuppance soon enough. Its Miss Winters we need to deal with now. Goyle, get _him_."

"Get w-who?" asked Roxanne, looking frantically around her. Harry had never seen her like this before, it was almost scary.

Voldemort didn't reply, but the next person who came out of the shadows certainly answered her question. Harry hadn't been looking in that direction; he was watching Wormtail – who had stopped chanting – separating the animals. He chose the strongest – whom including Hagrid and his dragons – to stay, and the weaklings seemed to come out of the daze and they walked off calmly. He noticed Snape lying on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding him and soaking into the earth.

"You!" gasped Roxanne.

This snapped Harry's attention back to the person who was standing beside Voldemort, his pale pointy face emotionless.

"You bastard! You evil conniving bastard!" screamed Roxanne at Malfoy. His facial expression stayed the same, blank.

"Now now, Roxanne. You shouldn't say things like that to your future husband," leered Voldemort, looking almost proudly down at Draco, who as almost as tall as him.

"W-what?" stuttered Harry. He glanced at Roxanne and saw she was just as dumbstruck as he.

"What are you on about?" asked Roxanne, staring at Draco. He looked down at the floor.

Voldemort ignored her question. "You must be wondering how we managed to get into the forest without detection? It's all thanks to Malfoy. His ingenious idea of suggesting we all take on the same form of an Auror protecting Hogwarts gave us the foundations of this plan."

He received blank stares from the group.

"Every few weeks we came in as the same person using Polyjuice potion. The same Auror who did daily inspection every month. No one suspected a thing, well, apart from Snape here," he added, casting a glance at the bloody body of Professor Snape. "And every month that Auror would say he would take himself out of Hogwarts, but instead he would go deep into the forest and stay there, eventually changing back into his true form. No one suspected a thing, not even dear old Dumbledore…"

Harry couldn't believe it. They go in _that _easily?

"This little charm was not only to catch your attention, but to draw some strong creatures to me, and some traitors."

"My Deatheaters, we have no need for the rest. Kill them."

"NO!" cried Roxanne. She lifted her feet from the ground and the man holding her did a double take. She took the opportunity to kick him viciously in the groin. She grabbed his wand off him while he whimpered in pain and pointed it and each Deatheater individually.

"Don't you dare harm them!" she snarled.

One Deatheater launched himself at her but she was quick.

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" The man went stiff as a board and fell flat on his face. "_Expelliarmus_!"

Her friends grabbed the flying wands and pointed them at the defenceless Deatheaters. Voldemort stood stock still with Malfoy beside him, who didn't seem to be able to see anything going on.

All together they said the same spell. "IMPEDIMENTA!"

Bodies went flying and everyone turned to run back into the safety of the forest.

"They're following us!" gasped Mark, who was being held up by Harry and Ron. But whoever was following them, seemed to have stopped as the only sound was feet running through the overgrowth and people gasping for breath.

"Hermione!" said Harry suddenly.

"They took her away, mate," said Ron, his voice wobbling dangerously.

Harry turned to run back but Neville grabbed him.

"We can't go back Harry, we'll put everyone's lives in danger," exclaimed Neville, his eyes wide.

"They won't kill her," assured Ginny, shaking. "I heard them. They said she was powerful."

Using spells, they retrieved their brooms and flew above the trees. At last they reached the outside of the woods to find every single teacher out there, along with many other people separated into small groups.

"Harry!" cried Professor McGonagall.

"I told you not to go in there, Harry! You deliberately disobeyed me!" bellowed Dumbledore, looking more furious than Harry ever saw him. Harry felt fear for the first time in the night.

"I'm sorry but I – I had to!" he protested. "We're all safe!" he added, forgetting about Hermione for a moment. It didn't seem real.

"You most certainly are not! Miss Granger _and _Miss Winters are missing! Aren't they your friends?" said Dumbledore.

"Ro-Roxanne?" he repeated, he looked about them. Dumbledore was right; she was nowhere to be seen.

"She was with us!" said Ginny, her face red from crying. "She got on her broom!"

"I trusted you Harry, have I ever told you false? And this is how you repay me? By practically giving Voldemort Roxanne," continued Dumbledore furiously.

Harry opened his mouth to apologise once more, but he couldn't. He was utterly speechless. It was like when your father told you off for something you didn't do or you didn't mean to do.

"Albus, the Aurors are ready," said Professor Scota, her brows furrowed with anxiety.

Harry looked at the twenty-odd men and women, wearing tight, black clothes with short navy cloaks. Their wands were longer than average and they had various weapons on them. Some had crossbows, some had knives and he even saw a beefy man with a large gun on his back like looked like a magically enhanced M16.

He felt someone grasp his arm and for one split second he thought it was Roxanne, but he turned and found Ginny there.

"Don't worry, Harry. We don't blame you; neither does Dumbledore, he just worries for Hermione and Roxanne's safety," she said, her voice wobbling dangerously. "H-he won't hurt them."

Harry hadn't realised he had tears in his eyes, he wiped them away viciously with his free hand. He looked up to see all the Aurors march into the forest. He went to follow them but McGonagall called him back, saying he had caused enough trouble. The Auros disappeared into the forest, ready to clean up the mess Harry had caused.

One of the Aurors was Kingsley, along with Tonks and Alastor Moody. They had not been allowed to make contact with Harry for security reasons but they were doing this for his safety. Tonks had just recently passed her A.F.D.A.T's (Auror's Final Defense and Attack Test) making her a fully trained Auror.

"So men," growled Moody. "And women…" he added, receiving a scowl from a black-haired Tonks. "We are looking for two people. Young women. Roxanne Winters and Hermione Granger. Does anyone need reminding of what these two look like?"

"No," they replied wearily. When they had heard Moody would be in command of their five, they knew they were in for a harder time than they had perceived. The other two Aurors with them were Elphias Doge and Emmeline Vance. Two of who had retrieved Harry from the Dursley house two summers ago.

"Emmeline, have you enough arrows?" asked Moody.

"Yes, Alastor," replied the stately woman.

"We don't know how many Deatheaters will be there, Vance! Remember, constant –"

"Vigilance," finished the four.

"We know," muttered Doge.


	22. Family Reunion

**Chapter 22 **

**Family Reunion**

Meanwhile, Roxanne was having quite a horrible time herself. She was in a tent, on her own, and totally confused on what was happening. Two Death Eaters stood either end of it, stopping her from escaping. They had taken away her wand but had given her cushions sos he did not have to sit on the hard, canvas ground. She had no idea what she was here for but she knew it was bad. And it was just about to get worse…

"ROXANNE!" cried a woman, from outside the tent.

Roxanne's gaze snapped up to the opening and in walked – or rather, in ran – a nearly middle-aged woman. She had black hair and steel blue eyes and was wearing a Death Eaters cloak. She threw off the hood and grabbed Roxanne in a sharp hug.

"Get off!" yelled Roxanne, pulling the woman off her.

"My darling! I haven't seen you for so long!" sobbed the woman, ignoring her daughter's cries. She ran her long fingernails through Roxanne's hair, getting them caught up.

Roxanne pushed her mother away and stood up, glowering down at her, her black locks in a mess.

"Roxanne, what's the matter?" asked Marilee Winters. She was wearing a lot of makeup, which was smeared as tears ran down her cheek and her sleek black hair was tied up in a French plait. "Its me, your mother!"

"You have no right to call yourself that!" shouted Roxanne, putting as much hate into those words as possible. It felt like she was shouting poison.

"Shush, my darling! Everything will be alright," whispered her mother, holding out her arms. "You're just startled!"

Roxanne pushed them aside. "Don't touch me," said Roxanne, her voice trembling. Her mother looked at her with a perplexed expression. "Y-you represent everything I hate. Just don't touch me."

"Honey! Sweetie! You don't mean that! You're just angry because of the circumstances!"

Roxanne stared at her mother disbelievingly. Then the 'circumstances' got even worse. Adrian Winters walked in. He merely stared at Roxanne and smiled, with a kind of triumphant smirk that maybe was supposed to look friendly but Mr Winters hadn't been friendly for a long while. Being in hiding for three years and then Azkaban for twelve had taken its toll on the couple. Roxanne took after her father with her high cheekbones but Adrian Winter's were protruding so much they looked like they would tear the thin layer of skin. They both had dark blue bags under their eyes and sallow teeth and skin and the air of someone who hadn't seen daytime for many years.

The tent door was pushed aside yet again and a tall, skeletal man entered. Voldemort leered down at Roxanne. Roxanne's mother stopped her quiet pleading. "Marilee, Adrian, could you leave us alone for a few minutes," he said quietly. They bowed and left the tent.

Lord Voldemort stayed standing, he still towered over Roxanne.

"You may not know, Roxanne, but Mr Malfoy has been working for me since his fourth year," said Voldemort softly. "I'm sure Harry told you about the prophecy in the Ministry of Magic?"

Roxanne remained silent, and glared at Voldemort. He took that as a yes.

"There's one about you as well…yes…do you wish to know what it says?"

No reply.

Not bothered by her lack of response, Voldemort carried on. "Its says; 'Two shall be born from the Dark Lord's closest companions in the month of November," he recited slowly, "Heir and heiress they shall be if they carry out the Nuptial. If not, the girl shall fall for the Dark Lord's adversary and true love will conquer all in the end."

Roxanne merely blinked, her eyes glaring at him venomously.

"True love," he repeated in a mocking fashion. "Is that what you feel for Harry, Roxanne?"

"W-well you shall not win in the end, so it m-must be," she replied scathingly, her voice quavering slightly under the powerful aura of the Dark Lord.

"Well…no matter what you think. You shall be marrying Malfoy and you shall be my most important supporters. Right hand man and woman if you wish," he added, smirking. "After all, how can you love someone who's dead?"

"W-why Malfoy? W-why me?" she garbled.

"You are both extraordinary strong people, with magic or without. And…very easy to manipulate," he said, a grin curling his lipless mouth.

"I am not!" retorted Roxanne.

"Believe what you wish, Miss Winters," said Voldemort. "Or soon I shall be saying, Mrs Malfoy."

Roxanne had nothing to say to that. It wasn't going to happen. She'd rather die than to be forcibly wed to that scum. She avoided his gaze and decided to look at a snake statue near the doorway. It flickered its tongue at her. Wait…statues don't _move_.

Voldemort turned to the snake and spoke to it in Parselmouth.

"Roxanne, this is my familiar, Nagini." The snake lowered her head in an unmistakable act of respect.

Voldemort smiled disdainfully at Roxanne and then left the tent, Nagini followed suit. The second she was left alone Roxanne pulled up the side of the tent and checked it was all clear. Seeing no one at the other side of the canvas, she lifted it up, but before she could get out, someone came in.

It was Draco.

"If you wish to keep your face pale and unbruised, I'd get out if I were you," she growled, curling her hands into hard fists.

"Listen, Roxanne, please just hear me out," he said, wrapping his fingers around her wrists to stop her from punching him.

"Let go of me, I don't want to listen to your lame excuse. I trusted you and…and now I'm here!" she cried, kicking him instead.

"Just listen!" he yelled, throwing her back onto the cushion. She attempted to get up but he put his knees on her legs and held her arms back so she could only move her head. She glared up at him with utmost loathing and tears of anger welled up in her mauve eyes.

"I didn't want to do this! Do you think I want to be married to you?" he didn't wait for an answer, "No, exactly." He was lying, but if it were to calm her down… "I didn't know about this until December and I couldn't say no!"

"Why not?"

"Because the Dark Lord would have killed me! Me, my mother, my father and everyone I care about. Probably even you since then you'd be worthless!"

"We could have protected you! Dumbledore would have looked after you!" she said despairingly.

Draco laughed hollowly.

"Yeah, yeah of course. Why didn't I think of that? Of course, the man who had tried to stop me attending Hogwarts and had fed me Veritaserum loads of times and then wiped my memory, would want to protect me!" he said sarcastically.

"He would have! If I had asked him, and told Harry…no, you know what, never mind. Its too late now," she said, wrenching her arm from his grip. She pushed him off and stood up. "Let me escape and maybe at my funeral I'll put it in my will to forgive you."

"I can't let you go! He'll know," said Draco, a look of pleading in his eyes.

"I don't care."

"Please, Roxanne! It'll be ok, you and me, we'll get used to it," he said quietly.

"That's what _you _think," she said, lifting up the side of the tent. She screamed and fell backwards as a hooded face looked at her form the other side.

"Sorry, Miss Winters, no escaping," the guard said, in a contemptuous voice.

Roxanne looked back at Draco and for a fleeting second she saw a look of triumph on his pallid face.

"I will not stay here," she said, as if that finished the matter.

"I don't understand. You liked me when we were in Hogwarts, you can't say you didn't have feelings for me, Roxanne."

"The difference is, Draco," she said, his name in a cynical fashion. "I didn't know I'd end up marrying you under the eyes of Voldemort. And anyway, I love Harry. With you it was just…I just felt lonely in the Slytherin Common room…"

"HARRY WILL PROBABLY BE DEAD BY THE END OF THE YEAR!" roared Malfoy furiously.

"THEN I WANT TO GO WITH HIM!" she yelled back.

Malfoy was quite stunned by her bluntness.

"But he…I…he won't be there…_I will always be there for you_!" he said angrily.

"I don't care! I don't want to be married to someone who I don't love, or even like! I'm only sixteen."

"I love you, doesn't that count?" he said sullenly.

"No. No it doesn't because the feeling's not mutual," she said wearily, massaging her throat.

Draco looked away from her, his arms crossed irately.

"I'm sorry but-" she added, not knowing whether she meant it or not.

"-Well tough, we're getting married and there is NOTHING you can do about it," he said, standing up and stretching to his full height, which was quite a considerable height more than Roxanne.

"Yes there is," she said, glowering at him.

His fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles were white.

"And there is nothing _you _can do about it," she added.

Draco lifted his hand as if to make to hit Roxanne, but thought better of it. "You're just asking for it, you are," he muttered.

"Oh well! It's better than going down without a fight, unlike you. You just take commands from Voldemort –"

"_Don't say his name_," he hissed, pointing his finger threateningly at Roxanne.

"Why not? Scared are you?" she taunted, hitting his finger aside.

"You…you can't say His name. You don't deserve to say His name!"

"And you do?"

"No! Just…just don't. He doesn't like it," said Draco, cracking his knuckles and looking around the tent frantically.

"Like I give a shit what he thinks," she spat. "For all I care he can jump off a cliff into a pit full of hungry manticores."

"Shut up!" he whispered fiercely. "He can hear you!"

"Well he can go fu –"

Draco clasped his hand around her mouth to stop her blaspheming about the Dark Lord.

"Gerroff," she said in a muffled voice.

"He'll be angry, Roxanne!" muttered Draco, so close to her it tickled her ear. "It won't matter if you're the heiress, He'll hurt you…"

Roxanne muttered something that sounded distinctly like 'paranoid'.

"I'm not, Roxanne. If only you knew…" he shook his head and let go of her.

She whipped around to face him and opened her mouth to retort but Malfoy got there first.

"And then if you escaped he'd kill your auntie and uncle. Then your kittens…then Potter, that mudlood Grander, Weasley…everyone you care about," he said, clenching and unclenching his fists.

Roxanne looked at him, realising he spoke the truth. She could save her own life but at what cost? Tears leaked from her eyes and she covered her face.

Draco bent down and put his hand on her shoulder. When she didn't shrug him off, he put his arms around her and hugged her. Roxanne, being so miserable, didn't care.

"I'll look after you, Roxanne. I'll keep you safe," he whispered gently. "It'll be ok…"


	23. Bid for Freedom

**Chapter 23 **

**Bid for Freedom**

"I have to go in there, sir!" protested Harry.

Professor Dumbledore was getting quite annoyed now with Harry.

"Harry, if you refuse to keep quiet I may have to lock you in the Gryffindor tower," he warned.

"You don't understand! Voldemort has my best friend in there and the girl I love!" he yelled, clenching his fists tightly.

Albus Dumbledore's angry face faltered for a second.

"You are too important to loose, Harry. Please understand this."

Harry ran his hands through his hair impatiently. If only he was an Auror.

Back in the tent, Voldemort was talking to Roxanne's parents.

"They've sent five Aurors this way, Jacobs said," muttered Adrian.

"They can't stay here then. I wasn't planning to have them wed yet," said Voldemort."

"They are very close, my lord, it would be best if all of us were not here when they came."

"The only way to get all of us out quick enough if is we all Apparate, but Roxanne cannot- "

"Teach her then," said Voldemort.

"But if she were to do it wrong –"

"She won't."

Marilee Winters sighed and turned her gaunt gaze to Roxanne.

"Get lost," was all Roxanne said to her mother.

"Dear, its not that hard. Just imagine being somewhere else and gather all your magic –"

"You know what will happen when they find you, don't you Roxanne?" asked Adrian, with a worryingly placid face.

"They'll arrest you and save me."

Adrian chortled softly.

"Half true. But they would arrest you too, my dear. And until they can find you innocent you will be kept in Azkaban."

"They won't think I _wanted _to be married," she retorted.

"Why not? They have all the proof. They have witnesses seeing you and Malfoy together and no one saw you being captured by a Deatheater on the way back to the castle this evening. For all they know you could have went back yourself…"

"As if! They aren't that stupid –"

"You know the grudge the magical world has against us!" snapped Adrian. "Even the muggles know our faces! Cornelius Fudge will do anything to see every single Winters kissed by the remaining Dementors on his side!"

"Its true," said Marilee Winters, staring at her distraught daughter.

It made sense, but she did not admit it verbally. Roxanne could have kicked herself for her own stupidity. They taught Roxanne how to apparate. At first she thought they couldn't because they were inside the castle grounds but she was told they were close to Hogsmeadee. She covertly hoped being able to apparate would help the escape plan that was brewing in her already troubled mind.

"So are you ready?" asked Adrian Winters sharply. She nodded glumly. "Malfoy take her hand, just in case."

Draco held out his hand close to hers and she grabbed it tightly. She looked at him hopefully and he shook his head. Her eyes flashed and the millisecond they apparated she let go of him. Apparating was the worst feeling in the world, like your body was being ripped apart and then quickly put together again. Hogsmeade appeared in front of her. It had worked! She started running in the direction of Hogwarts but then stopped. What if they arrested her? She could go up to the cave Sirius had stayed at and hide there for a while, but Voldemort would undoubtedly find her and she didn't know the way. She decided anywhere with Harry was safe and continued running to the castle grounds.

Draco appeared back in the tent. "She's gone!" he cried to her parents.

"Where?" asked Adrian, quite calmly. He had suspected this.

"How do I know? I'm guessing Hogsmeade – it's the closest place to Dumbledore to apparate."

Five Death Eaters went to Hogsmeade in search of the sixteen-year-old girl.

Roxanne was exhausted but the second she saw people in the distance she cried out; "HELP!"

They turned to look and some ran over. It was Professor Scota and Professor McGonagall.

"STUPEFY!" someone yelled from behind Roxanne. She was unconscious before she hit the ground.

Harry was watching this. He stared in horror as Roxanne's limp body suddenly disappeared into the darkness.

"Invisibility cloaks," said Dumbledore. "FIRE STUNNING SPELLS!"

Everybody there got out their wands and fired spells at the empty air. After a few minutes they stopped and began searching for invisible people. Professor McGonagall cried out victoriously as she spotted a leg. They ran over and whipped off the cloak only to find an unconscious Deatheater. He was arrested immediately.

"Damn it!" yelled Harry, throwing his wand down angrily. "We could have saved her!"

Ginny picked up his wand for him. "Don't worry, Harry. We'll get them back."

"They're gonna punish her now," he muttered, squeezing the bridge of his nose and trying not to cry. "Its all my fault – again."

"Don't blame yourself, mate," said Ron, putting his hand on his shoulder.

Harry shook his head. "It is my fault, I have to do something…"

Just then an owl flew out of the forest and hovered near Dumbledore. He read the note quickly.

"They're not in the forest anymore," he said. "Tell the Ministry of Magic."

Harry burst into tears and Ginny hugged him while he sobbed onto her shoulder, all dignity and hope lost.

"I can't bear to see him this way," whispered Luna to Mark.

"I know… I never thought I'd _ever _see him cry," he replied in hushed tones.

"It's just too much to take in one night…I can't help but blame myself as well," muttered Neville, wiping his eyes frantically.

"Same," murmured Mark.

When Roxanne came back to consciousness, she saw she was in a large room and Draco was sitting on a sofa with a large bruise on his cheek. When he noticed Roxanne awake he strode over and slapped her hard across the face.

She cried out and clutched her stinging cheek, tears welling up in her eyes.

"_That's_ for trying to escape," he yelled furiously. "And this –" he pointed at his cheek, "_and_ this – " he pointed to the red marks on his neck, "is for _letting_ you escape!"

She was speechless but felt no guilt.

His breathing was sharp and erratic as he went over to the table and gulped down a glass of blue liquid, slamming it back down on the table so hard Roxanne was surprised it didn't smash.

Roxanne stood up on wobbly legs and consequently collapsed on the grey sofa. She was quite surprised when she turned on the TV in front of her. But it wasn't the TV that alarmed her – it was the fact that it had muggle channels and magical ones.

Draco sat down on the opposite side of the sofa and she flinched. He scowled at her.

"Hopefully there's life after death, 'coz this one is shit," he muttered, drinking out of his refilled glass. The news was on and a posh witch was keeping the world up-to-date.

"And now we go over to Gabriel Manath who is interviewing a spokesperson from the Ministry of Magic," she was saying.

"Karen Hubbard, could you tell us what is currently happening at Hogwarts?" asked Gabriel. Roxanne immediately sat up.

"Well we can't say too much but there is _nothing _to panic about. You-Know-Who managed to escape the Aurors with three Hogwarts pupils, whose names cannot be said for legal reasons. Cornelius Fudge has started a nationwide search and has called Aurors from all over the world as we need as much help as possible on this."

"Do you have any idea where the three pupils are?"

"I'm afraid we cannot answer that question for the safety of the public," replied Karen Hubbard.

"Is it true all the dementors have now left Azkaban to join You-Know-Who?" asked Gabriel Manath, refusing to leave without more information.

"Most of the dementors have left but we have a sufficient amount to guard Azkaban so there is no threat there. I must go and answer more press questions."

"Ok, thank you Miss Hubbard. Back to you, Tanera."

"TV mute," said Draco, and the sound stopped. "You better not watch that, too depressing."

"Like I'm not depressed now anyway," she snapped. "TV sound on."

"TV mute!" he said loudly.

Roxanne glowered at him. "TV soun-"

Draco covered her mouth with his hand. "Do you ever stop? You're like a little kid!"

She ripped his hand off her face. "Don't you ever touch me."

Draco grinned slightly. "Fat chance." His words were slightly slurred.

"I'm serious."

"What you gonna do? I've got a wand and you haven't."

"You wouldn't dare," she said, giving him a reproachful look.

"Wanna bet?" he said, pointing his wand at her hand. She felt a burning sensation on her finger.

She yelped and pulled it away. Draco laughed. "Don't worry, the wedding ring will cover it up."

Roxanne let out an angry yell and grabbed the wand, pointing it at its owner.

"Now come on, Roxanne," he said, smirking. He pushed her and tried to grab the wand but she held it behind her head.

"Don't make me sit on you," he warned. She looked at him contemptuously but he did it anyway, pushing her back and sitting on her stomach. He grabbed his wand and then laid down on Roxanne, curling the wand in her hair.

"Get off me, you drunk idiot," she shouted, attempting to push his off.

"You know I wouldn't choose anybody else to get married to," he said, stroking her hair. A glazed look crossed over his face.

"Well I would, now get off me!" yelled Roxanne, quite worried now.

He kissed her cheek and said, "I wish you could just accept me and love me like I love you," he whispered in her ear.

Tears leaked out of her eyes as she tried to throw him off. His breath smelt of acidic alcohol.

"You don't love me, Draco! Your mind is poisoned by Voldemort's power! Its probably just a love potion so he can have heirs to his throne!" she cried, as he started kissing her neck.

"That's not true!" he said unexpectedly, peering into her eyes.

"It is! Does he give you your food? Do you not remember certain times of the day?" she asked desperately.

"I-I have dinner with him every evening," he said, blinking slowly. "H-he had some of his own house elves working in the kitchens at Hogwarts…"

"Well there you go!"

"No…" he shook his head violently. "No I know I love you…I-I do…"

"No, Draco, no you don't because if you truly did and it wasn't spell-inflicted, you wouldn't be doing this to me."

"B-but I d-don't stop thinking about you…. I dream you, sleep you, b-breath you," he said, looking lost and confused.

"No, the spell makes you do that," she said, horrified after hearing this. He seemed to have sobered up.

He sat up, his eyes wet with tears. He suddenly ripped off his sleeve and stared at his dark mark. "Its this…this fucking thing…ever since I got it done I-I've been different!"

"When was it done?" she asked timidly.

"Fifth year…the summer. I have to get rid of it!" A look of total madness swept across his face. He jumped up and grabbed a knife from the table and began scraping at his skin.

"What are you doing?" cried Roxanne, grabbing back his arm.

"I have to get rid of it," he repeated, pushing her away. Blood trickled down his arm, staining his grey shirt. His breath was harsh as he tore away his skin. Roxanne looked away, absolutely horrified..

Draco dropped the knife and studied his arm. It was bleeding profusely but a look of triumph was on his pale face.

"I'm free…I can feel my mind clearing!" he stated, turning around to face Roxanne. She winced at his mutilated arm. The mark was no longer visible, there was just a dark red hole.

"Here," she grimaced, wrapping layers of cloth on it from his torn sleeve and her jacket.

Draco lurched and he threw up where Roxanne would have been if she hadn't of jumped out of the way. He looked up at her dolefully, his hair covering most of his face.

"I'm sorry Roxanne, I've put you through so much shit-"

"Don't worry about that now. I want to get out of here," she said, marching over to the window. It was barred and when she touched the metal she got an electric shock. Outside she saw the gate was guarded by two dragons and trolls stood with clubs all over the place.

"Give me your wand," she ordered.

He stared at her blankly.

"_Now!_"

"Ok ok," he mumbled, handing it to her.

She pointed it at the bar.

"_Halkiophila!_" The bar disappeared with a small _snap!_ Next she opened the window carefully and pointed the wand at a patch of trees in the garden far left of the castle she was in.

"How do you know that spell? That's a very-" she interrupted him by kicking backwards at his shin.

"FLAGRATE!" she bellowed, and the trees burst into purple flames. This caught the trolls attention who rushed over and tried to put it out.

"Come on then," she said, opening the window wide enough for someone to get threw.

He laughed out loud. "You are joking! How in the hell are we meant to- oh my god…"

Outside their window, hovering perfectly in front of them were the two dragons that guarded the gate.

"You probably didn't know, but I'm a dracotongue," she said, her eyes twinkling.

"That's my name…" he said slowly.

"Which means dragon," chided Roxanne. She climbed out of the window and managed to get on the orange dragon.

"_Let him on, please, he's my…companion_," she said to the dragons. Perhaps companion was too much. He seemed to have changed now the Dark Mark wasn't on his arm but she would not be able to trust him fully ever again.

"_We will, but in his blood runs treachery, he is not a good one to make companionship with_," warned the green dragon.

Draco mounted the green dragon cautiously.

"_Do you know where they keep the other witch? Big bushy hair-" _

"_Yes, she who can use magic without a wand."_

Roxanne didn't bother to question that amazing bit of information.

"_Take us to her, and be stealthy, and do not wish for you to get in trouble on my behalf", _spoke Roxanne, all Draco heard was a series of grunts, hisses and snarls

The dragons, though large, had muscles in their bodies that allowed them to move in and out of things like snakes. Draco yelped softly as both the dragons suddenly went upside down to crawl under a bridge. They went into the sewers – not guarded by trolls – and crawled along the slimy pipes.

"_Call her name for I do not know exactly which cell she is encaptured in_."

"Hermione!" called Roxanne in a loud whisper. "Its Roxanne! Hermione?"

There was a muffled cry and the dragons quickened their pace. They climbed out of the pipes and up a set of stairs. Roxanne leapt off and peered round the corner. There were two trolls guarding the small prison-like cell that Hermione was kept in. The trolls seemed uneasy at Hermione's quiet screams and were looking around suspiciously.

"_Would you be able to take on those two trolls_?" Roxanne asked the dragons.

If dragons could grin, these two would. They waddled past Roxanne and Draco, who had jumped off as well, and went into the room. The trolls growled and the dragons roared and within thirty seconds the noise had stopped. Roxanne walked inside to see the trolls crisp and dead on the floor.

"_May we feast? The Dark Lord feeds us scraps for a mere dog."_

Roxanne nodded and the dragons tucked into the dead trolls, a horrible stench filled the air. Using Draco's wand, Roxanne blew up the gate as it wouldn't unlock. She was mildly surprised at how easy this all was. It gave her an oddly apprehensive feeling. She rushed inside and took the cloth out of Hermione's mouth.

"Roxanne! I can't believe it!" She suddenly noticed Draco. "HIM!" she growled.

"Don't worry, Hermione," assured Roxanne. "Come on, stand up."

"I-I can't!" moaned Hermione. "H-he put a spell on me or something and I feel like lead, Roxanne!" she cried, clearly very frightened.

"It's the _feacalak metallia _spell," said Draco, hard to be heard above the feasting of dragons.

"How do you remove it?"

"I…well I don't know but maybe we could both lift her up?"

"HE is not touching me!" said Hermione shrilly.

"He won't do anything, please Hermione, its our only chance," begged Roxanne.

Hermione scowled but let them. But even after trying three times, the only thing they could lift was her arm.

"Ok ok ok, what's that spell to make things lighter?" asked Roxanne.

"Um…I don't know one, just wingardium leviosa," said Hermione.

"Kasarth feathis," said Draco.

"How do you know all this?" asked Roxanne, astounded.

His pale face reddened and instead he grabbed the wand.

"_Kasarth feathis!_" he cried, and Hermione shivered suddenly.

"Did it work?"  
Hermione tried to stand up and succeeded.

"It must have counteracted it!" she said, jumping up and down once just to be sure. She glanced at Malfoy. "I would hug you but…"

"I understand, you still think I'm a evil, conniving bastard."

Hermione nodded but smiled all the same.

"_Gareba blue dragon, informs me Voldemort has sent five trolls down here to find out the meaning of the noise. I suggest we leave, five trolls is too much to handle on a full stomach."_

"Ok, which one of you can take two of us?" she asked the dragons.

_I_, said the orange, stepping forward.

Draco and Hermione climbed on him while Roxanne took the green.

"What are your names?" she asked them as they ran back the way they came.

"_I am Vervtrex and this is my brother, Jalth. We were born here but our birthers were from South Italy."_

"Ok Vervtrex and Jalth, please take us to the Ministry of Magic, I hope you know where that is. And we all thank you greatly, you will be rewarded," she said.

"_Thank you. To the Ministry, brother."_

When they at last reached the open air and could breath clean oxygen, the dragons took flight. Their enormous wings where soundless and the trolls only realised their captives had escaped when one noticed them soaring about a mile away from them. Riding the dragons was easier than she thought it would be. They had a small dip where the neck and shoulder bones met which was just perfect for a small person to sit in. They held onto their large spikes and the only uncomfortable thing was their scales, which rubbed their legs painfully.


	24. Lies and Treason

**Chapter 24 **

**Lies and Treason**

Harry had been taken to the Ministry of Magic and his uncle and aunty had been informed. Their reaction was, "oh…does that mean he isn't coming back for summer?" Roxanne's godparents had also been informed and they were being held for questioning.

The sixteen-year-old boy was sitting in Arthur Weasley's office, scratching the wooden desk so hard it hurt his fingernails. He _had been _in the room where they were trying to figure out Voldemort's location but he caused such an uproar when they wanted to stop for a coffee break that he was sent to calm down in a smaller, less crowded space.

He looked out the fake window which was set to clear blue skies though he knew for a fact that it was night outside. He scowled and slammed his fist down on the table, trying to release some of his aggravation. He couldn't help but feel it was his entire fault. It always was! Why did he have to act such a hero? Hermione was right, she's always right. And now she was gone. He pushed the table angrily but it only slightly moved, as it was solid beech. The worst thing was, every time he tried to contact Roxanne with the necklace, he would get no reply. Maybe they took it off her…or maybe she was in no state to even speak.

There was a dull knock on the door and Ron entered, looking both worried and weary. Harry looked up suddenly.

"Any luck?" he asked.

Ron shook his head and collapsed on the chair on the other side of the desk.

"They've contacted Hermione's parents and they went ballistic, saying how Hermione would never had got kidnapped if she hadn't had gone to Hogwarts."

Harry didn't reply. She wouldn't have gotten kidnapped if he hadn't of gone in…

"And now they're coming down here… I dunno, it all just seems too unreal."

Harry nodded and rolled his head back so his neck clicked a couple of times.

"I'm going to kill him," he said quietly.

"Who?"

"Malfoy. I swear even if they arrest him I will go to Azkaban and kill him," he said calmly.

"And I'll help you," said Ron, grinning at him. Harry smiled back and they laughed for the first time in ages, even if it was quite false.

As Roxanne, Hermione and Malfoy flew away on the large dragons, they heard a loud roar. Looking behind them, they saw the trolls throwing rocks at them but missing.

"Damn, they'll alert Voldemort," hissed Roxanne, urging the dragons to go faster.

Just when they thought they were on their way to freedom; they sudden collided with something. The impact was sudden and though the thing they crashed into seemed to suck them in a bit, it felt painful. They crashed into the trees and the dragon's wings got caught up in the branches and the thin membrane tore. They screamed in pain and squirmed and twisted so the three humans fell from the dragons and landed on the leafy floor.

Surprisingly, they were all conscious but Malfoy was in no state to stand up.

"What the fuck happened?" he cried, holding his ankle which was supposedly broken.

"An invisible force field?" said Hermione frantically.

They all heard a loud crack and looked up, the two dragons were falling down right above them.

They both grabbed Malfoy and dived out of the way.

"Vervtrex? Jalth?" cried Roxanne.

"_My wings…"_whispered Jalth.

"Oh my god…"

Jalth stood up and when he did so one of his wings flapped by his side, half ripped off, while the other was full of holes. Vervtrex's wings were a bit better but he could not fly. He had a gash across his long neck that was spewing blood, but even as they watched with grotesque, it began clotting.

"I'm going to check if the force field is down here too," said a tearful Hermione.

"I-I don't know what to do! I don't know any healing spells!" said Roxanne. She looked at Draco who shook his head solemnly.

"_It is not your fault, little one_," said Vervtrex.

"Yes it is! I asked you to help us!"

"_We would have helped you anyway."_

Hermione came limping. "Its just in the air. Unless it's further on – but _I_ could go through."

"_Go on without us, youngling, we are but heavy burdens."_

Roxanne laughed. "No way am I leaving you here. Can't you walk?"

"_Yes but slowly."_

Mr Weasley burst into his office, grinning broadly. "We've found them! They're with two dragons – which I don't really understand – but they are safe as long as we get to them before someone else does everything will be ok."

Harry grinned at Ron. He was so relieved.

"Of course Draco will be arrested straight away. I can't believe the Ministry let that slip…" muttered Mr Weasley, shaking his head. "So blatantly obvious… Well anyway, follow me boys. I'm sure you'll want to see your friends."

The two jumped off their seats and had to run to keep up with Mr Weasley's fast pace. A portkey was made and Aurors gathered. Alastor Moody winked at Harry and Tonks patted his shoulder, her other hand ready to grasp the chair they were using as a portkey. There was not enough room for Ginny and the rest; Harry and Ron were the only teenagers there.

"Three…" counted Kingsley. "Two…one!" Everyone grabbed the chair and they were thrown forward.

Moments later they were surrounded by trees and an amazing sight of Hermione, Roxanne and Malfoy coming towards them next to two huge dragons, seeping blood. Their faces lit up when they saw them all and Roxanne gathered the rest of her strength to run towards Harry. She wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into his neck, soon joined by Hermione. He was so overburdened with two crying girls that he sunk to his knees.

Dumbledore nodded towards Draco and before you could blink they had cast a spell on him, sending tumbling to the ground unconscious.

"What are you doing?" yelled Roxanne, letting go of Harry.

"He is going to Azkaban to await his trial in front of a jury to decide what to do with him," said Dumbledore calmly.

"Surely you don't care, Roxanne," said Ron, staring at her.

"He was under Voldemort's control, Ron, he didn't know what he was doing!" cried Roxanne. She made to run over to the unconscious Draco but Harry grabbed her wrist and pulled her back sharply.

"No. We're going," he said, tugging her towards a portkey that was being set up.

An expression of repulsion crossed Roxanne's pale face. "Don't _you _tell me what to do!"

His grip on her wrist tightened and he turned to face her, his face contorted with fury. "Do you ever learn? Just because Voldemort had control over him does NOT mean he's 'good' now! He's a spiteful, malicious creep without Voldemort's help!"

Roxanne was taken aback by this sudden retort, it was so _uncharacteristic. _"Just because you hate him-"

"This is nothing to do with how much I hate him! I do not want to lose you again – especially to _him_, so stop being thick, forget about him," said Harry, as if his say was final. He put his hand in Roxanne's, she tried to break free but realised he was right. Choosing to help Draco meant choosing a life beside Voldemort and without Harry. She couldn't do that…

The Ministry of Magic's marble walls showed no comfort to the distraught Roxanne. She sat at the front of an audience of over fifty looking at the teenage boy who had shown her such kindness and yet left her life in tatters. Draco Malfoy was chained to the chair below the Judge, trembling under the Dementors gaze. He looked so young and scared but his dark eyes glared at everyone in the courtroom.

"Isn't focusing our attention on the Dark Lord more important right now than knowing how long this boy has in Azkaban?" spoke up someone not too far from Roxanne.

"We need to get the truth out of Mr Malfoy which will help us capture You-Know-Who!" replied the Judge, clearly getting annoyed with the whole situation. "And this _boy_ is in league with him and is _his_ Heir!"

"So why isn't Miss Winters down with him?" retorted the person, whom Roxanne disliked immediately.

"Ms Winters has been talked to and proved innocent. Now please sit down and be quiet, Mr Farnagle." The tall man sat down and started talking to the witch next to him in angry tones.

"Ignore him, Roxanne," came a whisper from Mr. Weasley behind her. Harry was next to him, too far to put a consoling hand on her shoulder but near enough for her to hear him practically growling at Malfoy. She _had _been questioned, and it had been horrible, but she let them use Veritserum to prove her innocence.

"Malfoy, is it true the Dark Lord has chosen you as his heir?" asked the opposition.

Draco was in a mess. He had been in Azkaban for two days and his blonde hair was messy and dirty, as was his face. Grey eyes were dimmed but scowling at everyone around him, especially Roxanne. She had deserted him.

"Yes."

"Are you loyal to You-know-who?"

A long pause. The whole room seemed to have held their breath. His gaze went to Roxanne, who stared up at him wide-eyed. She was like a rose, he had decided. Beautiful but a pain. Thorns grew from her and she was a deceitful bitch.

"Yes."

A gasp from the room. "No…" whispered Roxanne. "You shouldn't have said that."

Aurors had gone to that huge mansion that Roxanne had been held in only to find it almost empty. It had been a major disappointment and the only person they had was Draco, but he was refusing to talk.

"Draco Malfoy, I sentence you to three years in Azkaban unless changed otherwise," spoke the Judge, slamming the hammer down, causing Roxanne to shudder.

A smirk formed on Malfoy's pallid lips. It reminded Harry of the smile Belletrix had…

"He will return and won't stop to save me from your pathetic prison. Walls and Dementors won't stop me. I am more powerful than you know," he said, glowering up at the Judge.

"Take him away."

"And you Potter – you will suffer and those around you!" he shouted as the Dementors took him away, looking at Roxanne on those last words.

You would have thought Roxanne would have cried. But she was beyond tears. She was numb.

They visited Hermione in hospital the next morning. She was almost fully recovered.

"What did they say?" she asked Harry when Roxanne was out of earshot.

"Three years, but- " he repeated what Malfoy had shouted before he had been dragged away.

"Don't be worried-"

"I'm not!" he replied, cutting in.

"Good, but I dunno Harry…they don't have a lot of Dementors and he is strong…"

Harry scowled, sounded like praise to him.

"Anyway, what's this about you using magic without wands?" he asked her, just as Roxanne came over with a glass of water.

Hermione's cheeks reddened.

"Well I first knew summer last year during that…that fight. I pointed and shouted a spell, forgetting I didn't have my wand in my hand but it still worked…"

There was a silence of awe then she carried on.

"There are some spells that everyone can do but apparently I can do all of them. Dumbledore said it's a rare gift and the ones who have it are just called the

Magepolleo, or Mage for one."

"Wow…" uttered Harry, eyes wide. "What a gift. Do something then!"

An uncertain look crossed her face. "I haven't actually been able to do it since. The dragons sensed it in me and told Roxanne. But I'll try…" She stretched out her hand to a book on her lap and using the same movement you would a wand, shouted, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The book wobbled where it lay but did not move.

She sighed and laid her hands across the cover.

"You'll get it," assured Roxanne, sitting beside her.


	25. A Visit to the Imprisoned

**Chapter 25 **

**A Visit to the Imprisoned**

Life back in Hogwarts was almost unbearable. Roxanne had fallen back into her old routine of not caring about her health or how she looked. Food was not important to her now, only hiding from the rest of the world. Slytherins' shouted and bullied her for apparently sending Malfoy to prison and the other houses spread rumours about her and bullied her mentally and physically. They whispered things as they went past like, "What's it like to be You-Know-Who's bitch?" and "Gone the same way as your parents, haven't you? Surprised you're still allowed to go to this school!"

Then one day, two weeks before the summer holiday, Roxanne snapped. A Hufflepuff passed her and said, "You-Know-Who rang, he wants you to scrub the floor in his kitchen!"

Roxanne spun around, messy hair flinging across her face and eyes wide and angry.

"If you think I'm Voldemort's wife then why do you bully me? I could get him to kill you and your whole pathetic family!" she shouted at him. The whole hall stopped walking and looked at her in silence. The Hufflepuff boy stared back at her fearfully.

"Roxanne, don't you dare threaten students!" came the voice of Professor McGonagall.

"Why the fuck not? They bully me and make my life miserable because of rumours they heard!"

"Miss Winters! Rude language is not necessary-"

"Do you know what I have to go through, _Professor_? Do you hear the things they say to me?" demanded Roxanne. She answered before the teacher could reply. "Of course you bloody well do! But you're too scared to do anything!"

"Come with me, Roxanne," said Professor McGonagall calmly.

"No!"

"Yes, Roxanne."

"No I'm not! I'm not going anywhere! I'm going to go back to my dorm and study and then go to sleep," she said, a final tone in her voice which was surprising tranquil. She turned on her heel and pushed through the crowd so viciously the smaller ones fell back, but the older students gave her a wide berth.

In the Slytherin common room she sank into a chair, fisted clenched and tears of anger welling up in her eyes. She glared into the empty fireplace and thought of Draco hugging her crept into her mind. She then started pounding the arms of the chair, releasing her anger on the defenceless furniture.

"You've been asked to talk to Draco Malfoy by the Ministry of Magic and Aurors Association."

A laugh rang out in the room. It was coarse and spiteful.

"Miss Winters, we are serious, we need more information," said Cornelius Fudge, twirling his hat nervously in his hands.

"He's not going to tell me anything!" stated Roxanne, in pure disbelief.

"Have you been reading the paper, Roxanne?" asked the Minister for Magic.

"No…"

"A family of five magical folk and three muggle families dead all because we have no idea where You-Know-Who is and he's playing with us. Don't you want this to stop?"

Roxanne's eyebrows furrowed slightly. Those poor people… But Draco would _never _tell her _anything_.

"Please Roxanne, you are, in fact, our last hope. Do what you must, even if lies have to be told," said Dumbledore, looking it her over half-moon glasses.

He clearly meant lie about what side she was on. As if Malfoy was that foolish.

"Ok then…but I'm not promising anything. And I don't want anyone to know, including Harry," she added, her face a picture of pure misery.

The two adults nodded understandingly.

"You will go this weekend, no one shall know. Disguise it as a visit to the Ministry to discuss what happened," said Fudge.

Roxanne nodded and left, a cloud of gloom hanging over her already laden mind.

Saturday. She had been dreading it. Harry clearly had his suspicions. Why talk to Roxanne and nobody else? It just seemed odd, and Roxanne seemed awful nervous.

A carriage collected Roxanne and took her out the gates until they were a mile from Hogwarts. Then she touched a portkey and got pulled into the darkness only to come out in a place worse than the swirling emptiness of portkey travel. The walls of Azkaban were a dull beige colour, greying and windowless apart from the occasional one which were barred and glowing a faint blue. The island had no greenery or grass but gritty sand and empty skies. Two Dementors stood at the entrance, straight and tall as if statues caped with material. They did not move when Roxanne went through followed by Cornelius Fudge and two Aurors but she heard a sucking sound, indicating they wanted this fresh life that was coming into their dead prison.

Roxanne wavered slightly as a stench of mold, decay and rot filled her nostrils. This added to the happiness being sucked out of her and the moans from the cells made her queasy and ill.

A dementor led her through corridors, swooping at prisoners that got up to reach out or cat call Roxanne. They soon fell back, groaning. They reached a cell right near the end that was guarded by another dementor. He fell back as Fudge and Roxanne got closer, probably scared of the Aurors.

At first Roxanne couldn't see Malfoy, but then her eyes grew accustomed to the darkness and she spotted a figure curled up in the corner, blonde hair sticking out from under a grey rag – supposedly a blanket.

"Let her in," said Cornelius. "We will leave you but the Dementors will stay, don't worry. If anything happens, they will stop it."

But she worried. The gate swung open, and Roxanne gingerly stepped inside, gulping in stale air nervously. Footsteps indicated her human companions had left but she still felt the presence of the Dementors.

She opened her mouth to speak but he got there first.

"I know why you're here."

The voice was raspy and was followed by a cough, but it did not sound weary nor drained. The figure pushed himself up, grey eyes blinking at Roxanne, pushing back long dirty locks of blonde.

"They were foolish to think I would talk to you," he added, putting the blanket around his shoulders.

"I - I didn't come to get information," she said, glad she was a good actor.

"Oh, missed me did you?" he said, smirking.

Why was he being so spiteful? She had thought he had changed, when he had scraped away the Dark Mark. She didn't understand…

She sank down to her knees, closer to him. "I want to join you, Draco," she whispered urgently.

He laughed, but it ended in a choking cough.

"Sure you do. You're not getting anything from me, Roxanne."

She knew this would be futile. But they needed information so badly…

"I'm serious. I've dumped Harry; he means nothing to me now. I want a life of power."

A shimmer of hope crossed Draco's face but he collected himself. _She's lying. She's a deceitful cow, using my feelings for her against me._

"I don't believe you Roxanne. I am sworn to secrecy."

"Draco, please," she said, moving her body closer. _Think of the families being killed…_ But she didn't need to. It was strange but Roxanne couldn't help but have feelings for Draco, even after all he's put her through. A prophecy wasn't made for any reason, but she couldn't help but blame it for this attraction she had for Draco. They were so similar in a way. Both parents Death Eaters and both caught up with the wrong side.

Anger swept over Draco and he grabbed Roxanne's wrist, the one closest to him. It was so warm and he was so cold… "You're lying Roxanne, they told you to lie and lying is what you do best. You're a deceiving bitch and I won't tell you anything!"

But he _will_ take advantage of her being here…anyway, who knows when he was going to get out?

"I'm not lying! Why won't you believe me?" she said, her voice rising. She changed her tone, she couldn't help it. "We're destined to be together, Draco! Prophecies don't lie."

Draco pulled himself up and looked at Roxanne. She was lying, he knew it. He knew her love for Harry. He wanted to hurt Harry, and the only way he could do it was through Roxanne. He would turn this against Roxanne; break her by breaking those around her. She deserved it.

He pulled her closer, harshly, and pressed his lips against hers, not letting her escape. Roxanne was shocked but she let it happen, this uncanny desire taking over her body. Draco was harsh, he bit her lips, left marks. Squeezed her arms until they bruised but Roxanne did not try and escape. He held back a laugh. _She thinks I am falling for her tricks!_

She finally pulled herself away. "Do you believe me now?" she asked, actually hopeful.

A smile appeared on Draco's lips as he looked at the red marks around hers. Teeth marks that would not go for days. "No."

"What? Then what was that for?" she demanded, clearly shocked.

Draco grinned and launched himself at her neck, sucking on her skin like some vampiric leech. She cried out but it was muffled by his grubby hands. Her fists punched his back but he sucked harder and it hurt.

"Stop it!" she yelled, finally realising what he was doing.

He was caught up now; he had felt her touch and he didn't want to let go. Azkaban had denied him human company. He pushed her to the ground, kissing her face frantically, hands grabbing and groping anything…until she screamed.

"STUPEFY!" A red light hit Draco and he was thrown back, unconscious.

Roxanne pulled her jacket around her and half ran, half stumbled out of the cell. Why hadn't she expected this? She pulled the collar up around her neck to disguise the bruises but Harry would see… unless she found a spell to cover them.

She felt violated. Her top was ripped and only her jacket held her dignity, but it still managed to seep away as she went back to Hogwarts. She made her way to the Slytherin common room, crawled into bed and lay there until morning, dreading it and Harry's reaction. She had no idea how to get rid of them.

There was a week left of school and excitement was clear in the students, even if three of them had recently been kidnapped and one was currently in Azkaban. The sixth year Slytherins were very subdued, which cheered everyone up. Gryffindor had won the Quidditch tournament since the Slytherin team no longer had a good Seeker and some of them were constantly being taken away for questioning.

In the morning Roxanne put on concealer makeup, which was consequently rubbed off when Harry kissed her at the breakfast table.

"What's wrong Roxanne? You look like you didn't sleep a wink!"

"I didn't," she replied, collapsing into the chair and quickly putting food against her mouth and biting slowly.

Harry frowned at this weird behaviour. Why was she wearing a scarf at this time of the year? Why was she eating so slowly? Her mouth looked red…

"What happened to your mouth?" he asked, leaning closer.

She didn't look at him. "Nothing. I have to go to the library, drop back some books."

But Harry went after her, worried for her health.

"Roxanne, what happened? Did you have an accident?"

"No, I just, I need to go collect some stuff," she said, quickening her pace.

Harry frowned but he wasn't buying it. He ran in front of her and peered at her mouth.

"Why are there marks around your mouth?" he asked, wiping away the obvious makeup. "Are they teeth-"

"I-I didn't want him to! Its not my fault!" she cried, shaking. "I was trying to save lives!"

"What are you on about?" he asked, staring at her frantic face.

"They said the Dementors would stop him!" she said, choking back tears. People walking past were watching on but did not pause.

"Stop who, Roxanne? What are you talking about?" insisted Harry, holding her shoulders. She looked like she was going to collapse.

"D-Draco – they said if he moved-"

"Malfoy? When have you seen Malfoy?" demanded Harry, trying to control his voice to normal level, but it was hard, he felt so angry.

"I h-had to go to Azkaban to talk to him, the Dementors were guarding but when he came at me they didn't…they didn't do anything…" Roxanne froze, a sudden thought crossing her troubled mind. The three Dementors hadn't moved an inch when Draco had clearly started hurting Roxanne. She had screamed and they hadn't moved…

"The Dementors! He can control the Dementors!" she exclaimed, causing a few people around them to move away with a look of concern on their faces.

"Malfoy?"

"Yes Malfoy!" snapped Roxanne angrily. She glared at the people around her and grabbed Harry's hand.

"We have to go to Dumbledore – he has to know Draco has no one guarding him!" she said, dragging Harry down the corridor.

"How do you know this?"

"I was there, in his cell. Fudge and Dumbledore wanted me to question him," she said, her words rushed as she broke into a jog. "He…he got out of hand and started attacking me-"

"You mean by attacking, kissing?" scowled Harry. He stopped jogging suddenly so Roxanne almost fell over. "What really happened, Roxanne?"

She turned to face him. "I had to get information from him, and even _you _know there was a chance he may…let on to something."

"So you acted like you were with him in hope that he would tell you something to do with Voldemort's whereabouts?" he asked, a hint of sarcasm in his accusing voice.

"Yes."

"Roxanne, can I ask you one question?" he said, tugging her arm so she took a step closer.

She look at him in bafflement but nodded all the same.

"Can you stoop any lower than sucking up to the Dark Lord's heir?"

A look of furious shock appeared on her face and she pulled herself away from him. "How dare you! I'm trying to save lives-"

"By prostituting yourself?" snapped Harry.

"Prostituting – what the hell? What do you think I did with him?" she cried angrily.

"Or the question is – what did you _not _do with him?"

"I – don't – _I didn't want to do anything!_" she yelled. No one was around them, but her voice echoed through the corridor. "And I didn't! He got on top of me and starting sucking a-and biting and I screamed and no one helped!"

Harry looked away moodily. "I told you I didn't want you near him, he can't be trusted."

"And I know that – for a fact. But if he _had _told me something, it would have helped everyone," she said, her voice quieter. "Please understand, Harry."

"I guess I do," he murmured, avoiding her gaze. "Come on, we'd better go to Dumbledore."

"No – not you guess you do, you _know _you do," she said, holding her hand up in his.

"You can't blame me for being angry, Roxanne-"

"I know I can't. Just remember I…I love you, and I wouldn't leave you for _him_."

A smile crept across Harry's face. "I love you too." And before they set off to Dumbledore's office they shared a quick kiss, knowing it was a true mark of love if they could forgive each other this easy.

The gargoyle at the bottom of Dumbledore's stairs stood sock still, blocking their means of getting to the Professor.

"Um…Lemon Sherberts?" he said to the gargoyle. It didn't even blink.

"Fizzing Whizbees?" suggested Roxanne.

"Acid pops? Jellied slugs?"

"Chocolate frogs?"

"Fudge Flies? Ice mice? Ton-tongue toffees?" yelled Harry angrily. The gargoyle suddenly moved and stepped aside, his face expressionless.

"Must be a fan of Fred and George's sweets," said Roxanne, a faint smile on her face.

The stepped onto the moving staircase and entered the office without knocking – which they soon regretted. They caught a glimpse of Dumbledore sitting down, writing a letter with furious speed. He looked up at Harry and Roxanne as if they had been there all the time.

"Please, enter," he said, smiling.

"Sorry sir – its just Roxanne has something urgent to tell you," said Harry, gently pushing Roxanne ahead of him.

Roxanne couldn't help but blush under Dumbledore's piercing blue gaze. She always felt awkward around him and never felt that he liked her. She was wrong of course, for Dumbledore was very trusting.

"Well you remember me telling you Draco hadn't let up on anything?" she said, her voice strong though she did not feel it. Dumbledore nodded, silent. "Fudge said the Dementors would help me if he tried anything. And he did," she said, her fingers playing with the light scarf around her neck. She removed it, showing red and purple blotches on her skin that looked sore. "But the Dementors didn't do anything and – well I think he has control over them."

Dumbledore looked at her wordlessly for a moment while Harry stared at her neck, with a mixed look of shock and hatred.

"We are aware he may have some control over a few of the Dementors but remember there are also trolls guarding it and no way off the island-"

"But sir," interrupted Roxanne, "if he has the Dark Lord on his side then he _will_ be able to get out!" She had no idea why she had just called the man she loathed the _Dark Lord_. Perhaps she had spent too long around Draco.

"I highly doubt it, Roxanne," said Dumbledore, who was annoyingly reassuring.

She didn't argue, but stepped back to Harry's side.

"Is that all?" asked Dumbledore, picking his quill up again.

"Yes sir – oh – is Hogwarts going to be open next year?" asked Harry. Dumbledore nodded serenely and they left.

"I don't care what he says, Harry, Draco has a good chance of getting out," muttered Roxanne, as they made their way to the hall.

"I agree, but there is nothing _we _can do," he said.


	26. The Prophecy Unveiled

**Chapter 26 **

**The Prophecy Unveiled**

Roxanne had spent that night asleep with Harry. While he lightly snored the night away, Roxanne stared out of the window, her mind too full to sleep. What was this prophecy? She didn't understand. Why had she never been told? Questions spun round in her mind and she half wanted to send a stupefy spell at herself just so she could get some sleep. Voldemort had not explained a lot about it. So she was destined to marry Draco? The thought of becoming some kind of evil queen crept into her mind and she shuddered. Ok, so she was quite gothic, but evil queen was going too far. And spending her life with Malfoy? Having his children? It was a nightmare in itself. Roxanne never wanted to marry and having children was definitely the last thing on her mind.

The next morning was a Sunday and the whole day was to be spent lounging around and enjoying each other's company, but after breakfast, Roxanne made her way on her own to Dumbledore's office. She needed answers.

"Come in," came a voice when she knocked on Dumbledore's door.

She entered warily and was relieved to see just Dumbledore, stroking the feathers of Fawks.

"Ah, good morning Roxanne."

"Good morning Professor. I wanted to…um, ask you something," she said, casting her eyes at the desk.

Dumbledore smiled knowingly. "Sit yourself down then."

He sat on the other side and she took the cushioned chair. He made a gesture for her to start talking.

"I want to know more about this Prophecy. I- I think I have a right to know."

Dumbledore nodded, still smiling but his eyes looked less than happy.

"It was a whole year before Harry's was and no one heard it except for the creator -someone we have never found- and a woman called Jassameen."

Roxanne stared at him. "Wasn't she my aunty?"

Dumbledore nodded. "She was indeed. I don't think you know a lot about her, as she died a few months before you were born. But Jassameen was a very kind soul, I taught myself when she was at Hogwarts. But she did the regrettable thing of telling her sister Marilee that she had heard a prediction of her future daughter. It was a foolish thing to do, since she knew her sister was in with the Death Eater crowd. Marilee told Voldemort and had Jassameen taken to the Dark Lord, who tortured and threatened her until she told him the prophecy." He paused.

Roxanne looked down at her lap. So her aunty had died because of her?

"But it's not your fault, Roxanne. You did not create this prophecy," said Dumbledore, as if he could read her thoughts. "Voldemort was very intrigued with this prediction has it coincided with the other prophecy that he had found out about a few days earlier-"

"How do you know all of this, sir?" asked Roxanne suddenly.

Dumbledore smiled. "I'm somewhat of a memory collector. I put it upon myself to find out as much about Voldemort as I possibly could. Shall I continue?"

Roxanne blushed and nodded.

"Jassameen went to St. Mungos, she didn't remember anything and died a few months later. Voldemort had chosen Harry as his rival when he was born and you and Mr. Malfoy were protected by spells and Death Eaters. But on to what the Prophecy actually meant; something Voldemort wanted was someone who could take his place when he was killed, or perished or became too weak. He may be immortal but even he knew he wouldn't be forever. This Nuptial was to take place _legally _when you were both seventeen, but as you learnt yourself, Voldemort was eager to have it over and done with, as when you were _supposedly _going to get married, you were to have your souls split."

A small gasp escaped from Roxanne upon hearing this. Have her own horcruxes? It wasn't something that was frightening, but what _did _frighten her was the idea of becoming immortal actually _appealed_ to her…

"Draco was to have three and you would have two, including yourselves it makes seven. He probably sees Draco as more important as he is the male, and the one who would take his throne, as it were."

"B-but this can be prevented, can't it?" she asked him.

"It already has, Roxanne," smiled Dumbledore.

She frowned but suddenly realised; "Because I'm in love with Harry?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Your love gives him strength and is what makes both of your very powerful."

Roxanne felt a little more relieved.

"I hope this information has helped you," said Dumbledore, looking at her over half-moon glasses.

She nodded and stood up. "Thank you Professor."

Dumbledore smiled and she left. Of course she still had many thoughts in her head, but they were no longer of a miserable life or being pregnant…

"Did he tell you?" asked Harry, the moment she entered the Gryffindor Common Room (of which she was surprised she was still allowed to enter.)

She stared at him for a moment, wondering how he knew where she had gone. "Oh- um yeah."

She sat down and there was a long silence in which she knew everyone was staring at her.

"So?" cut in Ginny.

Knowing she could not hide something like this from her best friends, she told them. Once again there was a short silence. Harry eventually reached over and hugged her.

"Its ok, Roxanne. It won't come true-"

"But there's a fifty percent chance it will, isn't there?" she said, looking up at it anxiously.

"I think there's a fifty percent chance any prophecies will happen," he replied, his face rather glum.

"Sorry Harry, I didn't mean-"

"Don't worry, it's not your fault," he replied, his expression passive.

Roxanne leant against his shoulder and closed her eyes while Ron and Hermione argued over who was going to replace the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"What? What happened to Professor Scota?" asked Roxanne, sitting up suddenly.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other, baffled.

"Didn't you hear-"

"Well obviously not," snapped Roxanne. She instantly apologised.

"Well, she only came to teach for a year as she was practising to become an Auror and she passed her test!" said Hermione, beaming.

No one else shared her delight.

"But she was a great teacher," said Roxanne, frowning.

"Yeah but the positions cursed – I'm just glad she didn't get hurt," said Harry.

"I wonder if Snape'll get it…" mused Hermione.

"I hope so," said Harry, causing everyone to look at him in alarm.

"Well no one lasts do they? So hopefully he'll get the boot too."

They laughed, all except Hermione.

"He's a good teacher, Harry, and he's taught you-"

"Do I look bothered?" interrupted Harry. "He could get me an Auror job and I'd still hate him."

Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up. "I need to go see Professor McGonagall about this homework, it just seems too easy…"

It was Harry's turn to roll his eyes then. Hermione didn't see and when she had gathered her books she bent down to the kneeled Ron and gave him a hug. Roxanne stared blankly at them and Hermione spun around on her heel.

"Um, bye you three too!" she said in a high voice, and she hugged Roxanne, Ginny and Harry, she then rushed out of the room.

"That was…odd. When has Hermione started hugging people goodbye?" asked Harry, watching her disappear out of the portrait. He looked back at Ron who was reading a book with reddening ears.

Ginny giggled, which confused Harry even further.

"She always was an odd child," said Roxanne, with a knowing smile on her face. Harry frowned.

"Something you want to tell us, brother?" asked Ginny, smirking. "I haven't seen you with Berenice for a while!"

"Oh…yeah, we split up two weeks ok," replied Ron in a muffled voice.

"How come?" asked Roxanne, leaning forward so her hair covered her face.

"We just fell out, didn't have a lot in common," he replied.

"Single now then, eh?" asked Ginny, with a cheeky expression on her face.

"Uh…yeah."

A look of dawning comprehension appeared on Harry's face. "Oh I get it now!"

Ron glanced up at him, glowering. "Get what, exactly?"

Harry smirked but didn't have chance to reply because just then people began piling out for dinner and no one could be heard above the hungry raucous of shouts and complaints.


	27. Last Surprises

**Chapter 27 **

**Last Surprises**

Over the last few days, Hermione had been hugging them all whenever she had been leaving the room, which Harry and Neville had found slightly awkward. During the last few minutes in the Gryffindor Common room, both Hermione and Ginny were quite tearful.

"I won't see you for ages if you're going on holiday!" sobbed Ginny, hugging Hermione. "A month is too long in France!"

"I didn't want to go for so long!" said Hermione, wiping her eyes.

Dumbledore's last day speech had been surprisingly short. More about sticking together, putting past rivalry behind them and reminding them that Hogwarts will still be open for students. A lot weren't coming back though. Since the news of Roxanne and Hermione's capture had been spread and grown, people were reluctant to return, no matter how safe it was. What if they were next? They had no idea why Hermione had been captured and had it in their heads that any pupil could be taken.

The Hogwarts Express arrived, its usual red gleam seemed to have been dulled, like it hadn't been cleaned since they last got on it. It didn't reflect the students in its shine, which seemed to affect the atmosphere.

They found a particularly big carriage to fit Harry, Ron, Roxanne, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Mark and Ginny along with Crookshanks, Ebony and Ivory (who had returned to Hogwarts safely, if not a little dazed.)

A group of Draco's friends past the carriage and sent glares inside. Zabini actually snarled at them, showing his front teeth. Pansy Parkinson was sobbing on his shoulder and did not even look up. A wave of guilt swept over Roxanne, which must have been noticeable.

"Don't feel guilty, Roxanne, it was not your fault," said Hermione, putting her hand on Roxanne's lap. No one except for Harry knew about Roxanne's visit to Azkaban, and since Hermione had seen a nicer part of Draco, she believed there was some good in him and he was indeed innocent.

"I've been such an idiot…Voldemort was right, I am easy to manipulate," she said miserably, looking at the carpeted ground.

"Don't listen to him, Roxanne-"

"No Harry, I _am_ easy to control, it's a fault in me that I've realised and I _will _fix," she said, her voice still glum but determined. "No _Dark Lord _will abuse me and my friends…"

Harry smiled and kissed her brow. "That's what I like to hear."

The train journey was oddly subdued, conversations breaking out every now and then but they were stifled quickly. Even the prospect of food didn't lighten moods – not even Ron's. People eventually began to fall asleep, tired from waking up so early. Ginny was leaning on Mark's shoulder, much to his alarm, while Ron's face was up against the window, pressed there by Hermione who was squished up against his forearm. Luna was reading _The Quibbler_, though her eyes didn't seem to be taking anything in. Neville was snoring loudly but Roxanne and Harry were still awake. Harry was looking out of the window staring at the stars that had started to appear.

"It feels like yesterday that we were on this train last," said Roxanne, resting her cheek on his shoulder.

"I know…this year has gone by so quickly."

Roxanne's hand found Harry's hand and she squeezed it. "I'm worried, Harry…"

"About what?"

"When I get home…my aunty and uncle are going to…well I don't know, but they will just hate me. They already hated their name having a bad reputation but now it's going to be worse. Did you know when they were questioning my uncle, he was threatened to be put in Azkaban because he refused to let the Ministry search his house?"

Harry looked at her, his eyes wide. "Seriously? But your uncle was an Auror!"

"I know! _My uncle _was the man who helped put my parents in Azkaban- I bet you didn't know that," she added with a wry smile.

"Oh…is that a good thing?"

Roxanne nodded and laughed dryly. "Not much use now though. Allen is retired and not strong enough to help the Ministry. He's always going on about how they're going about this whole thing the wrong way."

"The Ministry have _no _idea," said Harry, leaning his head on Roxanne's.

Sobs and farewells filled the station when people piled out of the train. Ginny greeted her mother with a running jump and everyone ended up hugging everyone else.

"We have to see each other soon, ok?" Harry said to Roxanne, pushing her hair from her face as she sobbed uncontrollably.

"I don't want to go back home, Harry. I want to stay with _you_! I don't want to go back to a l-lonely house," she mumbled.

"Soon Roxanne, soon," he said, and kissed her forehead.

"No Harry! I hate it there! I can't bare being without you!" she said suddenly, glaring up at him.

He shook his head dolefully. "Neither can I Roxanne, but your uncle and aunty need to see you-"

"They wont let me go back," she whispered in a hiss.

"We'll come and get you if push comes to shove," he assured.

She wrapped her arms around him and sobbed on his neck.

"Don't worry, Roxanne…"

Harry was going back to the Dursley's for two weeks, Dumbledore had requested it. It was the safest place while they checked over Grimmauld Place. Its spells had to be updated and such. They had slightly worn off with the death of the last Black.

Roxanne lifted her head off his shoulder to see Hermione hugging Ron. Harry looked around.

"Four weeks, Hermione? _Four weeks_?" Ron was saying quietly, though they could hear.

"I didn't want to…"

"I dunno whether I could _not_ see you for a whole month," said Ron. He bent down to Hermione's cheek.

"Don't, they'll see!"

"I don't care."

Harry quickly turned back to Roxanne so he wouldn't have to watch his two best friends kissing.

"I guess it was inevitable," he said, frowning slightly. He felt a little strange about it-

"In times like this, its best to have as much time as you can with the person you love," said Roxanne, catching on to what he felt. He smiled and kissed her.

Roxanne's aunty and uncle were late, which was highly unusually.

The Dursleys were getting impatient and the Weasleys had left ages ago.

"We're not waiting any longer – the turkey is in the oven and-"

"Alright alright!" snapped Harry, interrupting his uncle.

"I'll be fine, Harry, you go," said Roxanne, smiling weakly.

"I don't want you to be alone-"

"There's crowds and guards, I'll be fine," she said.

"Ok…well I'll see you soon then," he said, giving her a quick hug.

"Soon…" she echoed and he left. Left her standing on her own with her suitcase and two cats in a cage, meowing irritably.

She fiddled with the gold necklace around the neck, watching the crowd disperse increasingly fast. It was alarming. One minute she was having to move her suitcase closer to get out of people's way and then next the odd passenger was walking past her.

And then there were none.

She looked about nervously and was glad to hear footsteps behind her.

"Hello, Roxanne," said her aunty. Roxanne bent down to pick up her heavy suitcase and turned around, only to drop the suitcase back to the floor.

She gasped as she saw a woman who looked like a middle aged and wearier version of her, someone who was _not _her aunty.

"No escaping this time, Roxanne," said Marilee Winters, and with a flick of her wand, everything went black. . .

* * *

_((And that's the end folks! The most annoying cliffhanger in the world! I will of course continue with a 7th one, but whether that will be any good is a different matter. Or perhaps you'd like to leave this to your imaginations? I'll see how many people are actually bothered to see what happens to Roxanne. Also a question, how rude would you mind it getting? Its 7th year and in real life, kissing is something 13 year olds do, especially in England. But I wouldn't make it common fanfiction smut, I'm more maturer than that! Thank you for all the comments and for reading!_

_-x-x-x-_

_Saoirse))_


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